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Nietsche 


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By 
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"As  I  See: 


Nietsche 


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Price  50c 


109  Labor  Temple 
Los  Angeles 
California 
1920 


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As  I  See:  NietscKe 

By  Stephanus  Fabijanovic 


Nothing  in  all  my  life  has  proven  harder  to  me,  or  a  more  difficult 
task  than  to  have  to  speak  of  other  men  and  to  apply  to  my  life  the 
lessons  learned  from  their  growth.  My  investigation  in  that  direction 
has  taught  me  that  human  beings,  apparently  so  near  to  each  other,  are 
in  fact  in  their  innermost  being  widely  apart,  isolated  entities,  each 
having  to  pursue  his  or  her  owti  path  through  life.  Though  at  all  times 
in  the  history  of  mankind  there  has  been  in  evidence  some  form  of  col- 
lectivity of  a  people  or  of  a  state  regulating  every-day  life,  we  neverthe- 
less perceive  at  the  bottom  merely  a  historic  incatenation  of  isolated 
cases  and  isolated  incidents  to  teach  each  isolated  individual  a  perhaps 
differently  interpreted  lesson  as  applied  to  his  or  her  own  life.  Out 
of  the  individually  varying  cumulation  of  just  such  isolated  cases  and 
isolated  incidents,  human  beings  have  written  down  their  own  interpre- 
tations and  applications  for  a  history  of  a  collectivity  of  a  people,  or  of 
a  state.  A  work  of  this  kind  at  all  times  necessitated  some  form  of 
organization,  which  took  mankind  thousands  of  years  in  its  making. 
Nothing  can  grow  out  of  nothing.  Everything  must  needs  have  some 
substantial  beginnings.  If  we  go  to  the  bottom  of  the  history  of  organiza- 
tion and  look  for  its  hidden  roots,  we  will  always  find:  that  their  basic 
motive  is  some  idea  or  trend  of  thought  germinated  by  human  associa- 
tion, an  idea  which  grows  in  scope  and  depth  in  the  fostering  organizing 
efforts  and  which  aims  at  establishing  itself  in  absolute  power  over  and 
above  all  other  ideas  or  thoughts.  If  we  look  farther  back  into  the  past 
of  the  race  and  turn  the  pages  of  the  history  of  Greece,  from  whence 
our  present  civilization  can  be  traced  in  more  than  one  sense,  we  soon 
notice  two  diametrically  opposed  ideas  or  trends  of  thought,  bitterly 
struggling  for  supremacy  over  and  above  this  world — two  ideas  which 
might  be  symbolized  as  Apollo  and  Dionysos. 

It  is  from  this  perspective  that  Nietzsche  wrote  his  first  book.  Since 
it  is  my  intention  to  write  of  Nietzsche  himself,  as  well  as  of  his  work  as 
I  perceive  them  both  in  their  relation  to  my  own  self,  I  must  needs  start 
out  from  the  above  mentioned  two  fundamental  ideas  or  trends  of 
thought.  Apollo  represented  in  the  cult  and  culture  of  Greece  the 
enormous  pedestal  upon  which  a  whole  world  of  huge  Gods  manifested 
themselves  in  splendor.  This  manifestation  displayed  a  glorious  super- 
abundance, leading  to  a  wonderfully  ornamented  heavenly  bliss,  but 
utterly  disregarded  all  human  duties.  In  Apollo  trend  of  thought  every- 
thing is  deified  unquestioned,  be  it  *'Good  or  Evil.''    Yet  in  the  midst 


k 


4e483;> 


of  this '(by  its  spol£esm«en  so  strongly  declaimed)  superabundance  of  the 
ruling  masters,  we  notice  equally  the  incipience  of  a  different  trend  of 
thought  which  perceived  this  whole  world  of  Gods  as  a  huge  joke,  if  you 
please,  in  a  really  comical  light.  That  beautiful  illusion  was  dispelled: 
**Not  all  that  glittered  was  gold!''  That  idea  and  trend  of  thought 
was  represented  by  Dionysos,  who,  not  satisfied  with  merely  looking  upon 
the  existing  gallery  of  pictures,  dared  to  live  his  life  in  accord  with 
ideas  of  his  own.  For  several  thousand  years,  these  two  diametrically 
opposed  trends  of  thought  have  struggled  with  each  other,  both  sides 
bringing  into  the  field  the  best  they  could  find,  in  the  everlasting  en- 
deavor to  establish  the  absolute  domination  of  their  respective  funda- 
mental ideas. 

During  all  the  succeeding  periods  of  history,  we  can  ^dtness  in  the 
arena  of  mankind  the  bitter  life-and-death  struggle  between  the  best 
and  strongest  champions  of  those  two  fundamental  ideas  and  trends  of 
thought.  In  all  these  embittered  battlings  Apollo  remained  the  victor. 
These  two  opposing  and  bitterly  fighting  trends  of  thought,  rubbed  and 
fussed  themselves  for  thousands  of  years.  On  both  sides  they  tried  to 
bring  the  best,  so  to  show  their  justification  for  domination.  From  the 
very  beginning  there  was  a  furious  battle,  which  overthrew  the  many 
Gods,  but  always,  in  the  end,  there  remained  one  God  on  the  throne, 
who  was  glorified  with  a  pompous  celebration. 

Fundamentally  was  carried  the  fuss  and  fight  for  the  very  beginning 
thought.  Down  through  the  ages  of  history  we  see  how  the  battle-field 
broadened,  also  how  the  struggle  intensified.  Here  tlie  leaders  of  both 
sides  had  to  calculate,  so  as  to  change  their  places  on  the  commanding 
bridge.  With  such  atrocious  actions,  these  leaders  established  even  a 
new  religion,  namely,  Christianity,  and  they  had  the  nerve  to  proclaim 
that  this  religion  is  the  real  hereditary  offspring  of  a  prophet,  Jesus 
Christ.  On  the  other  hand,  everything  that  was  wicked  in  the  system 
remained.  Tasks  became  difficult;  harmony  never  could  be  properly 
applied;  and  therefore  a  bitter  fight  started  between  individuals  and 
nations.  The  one  side  strove  to  maintain  the  permanency  of  tlieir  old 
heavenly  bliss,  and  the  other  fought  for  their  ends.  At  the  same  time 
the  furious  fight  was  started  for  the  new  religion,  but  fundamentally 
for  the  ideas  of  Apollo  and  Dionysos ! 

On  this  well  calculated  foundation  they  organized,  and  with  this 
power  they  crushed  small  nations  and  big  empires,  annihilating  whole 
populations,  and  again  building  anew  to  destroy  in  turn.  In  all  this 
strife  and  tribulation  the  Apollo  trend  of  thought  remained  undisputed 
victor.  This  retrospect  illuminates  the  unending  bitter  struggles  even  of 
our  own  times.  The  recognized  spokesmen  of  the  powders  that  be — i.  e., 
the  poets,  the  philosophers,  the  scientists  gathered  everlastingly,  and 
gather  even  today  a  beautifully  composed  data,  with  which  they  support 
the  necessity  of  idols.  In  spite  of  such  an  organized  power,  there  devel- 
oped the  Dionysian  trend  of  thought.  Doubtless  there  is  one  and  the 
same  cause  at  the  bottom  of  it  all.  The  one  system  wanted  to  establish 
and  maintain  in  power  the  well-being  of  the  material  world,  the  other 


aimed  to  establish  and  maintain  in  power  life  itself.  Neither  side  won 
out  definitely  and  the  struggle  goes  on  unceasingly,  now  with  the  sword, 
and  now  again,  as  opportunity  arises,  with  the  pen. 

At  a  time  when  books  were  brought  forth  by  various  very  cumber- 
some and  difficult  circumstances,  consuming  much  time,  much  money, 
and  still  more  labor, — and  later  on,  when  their  production  was  in  the 
hands  of  the  inmates  of  cloisters  and  monasteries,  the  Dionysian  idea 
and  trend  of  thought  had  but  a  scant  chance  for  development;  suffered 
from  restless  persecution  and  brutal  extermination  at  the  hands  of  the 
satiated  and  overstimulated  in  power.  Yet  this  could  not  last  forever! 
From  the  time  when  the  printing  art  became  prevalent  against  all  ob- 
stacles placed  in  the  way,  the  pages  of  history  record  a  far  different 
story.  Slowly  but  surely  the  Dionysian  idea  and  trend  of  thought  came 
to  the  surface ;  found  ways  and  means  for  expression  in  spite  of  all  per- 
secution; though  the  defenders  of  the  diametrically  opposed  idea  and 
trend  of  thought  in  power  mercilessly  used  the  mailed  fist,  in  order  to 
crush  every  attempt  of  independent  thinking,  confiscating  and  burning 
at  the  stake  all  the  objectionable  new  books  they  could  lay  their  hands 
on,  and  their  authors  as  well,  there  and  here,  and  everywhere;  some  of 
these  books  escaped  and  passed  on  upon  their  silent  revolutionizing 
mission.  Thanks  to  these  slips,  the  individual  awakened  to  self-recogni- 
tion with  its  longing  for  freedom,  and  became  conscious  of  his  own 
strength  and  magnitude.  The  recognition  of  self  led  to  a  self-conscious- 
ness, to  a  knowledge,  and  to  a  new  wisdom  which  abolished  to  an  equal 
extent  the  alleged  power  of  God  from  this  earth.  Then  only  it  was 
noticed,  that  the  Dionysian  idea  lifted  up  its  head  ever  more  vigorously 
and  its  trend  of  thought  spread  in  wider,  ever  expanding  circles. 

Though  through  all  the  centuries  there  could  be  found  isolated  in- 
stances of  powerful  individualities  struggling  to  the  surface  to  denounce 
the  evils,  which  were  a  part  and  parcel  of  the  dominant  Apollonian  rule 
of  iron,  it  appeared  only  in  the  nineteenth  century  that  we  met  a  man 
of  sufficient  power  and  intensity  to  attack  promptly  and  energetically 
the  system  based  upon  the  Apollonian  idea  and  trend  of  thought  in  its 
entirety;  and  that  man  was  Arthur  Schopenhauer,  who  put  the  power 
of  all  his  being  into  the  work.  For  his  daring  he  had  to  experience  a 
grewsome  penalty  in  the  recognition  of  the  long-known  fact  that  any 
personal  interpretation  and  philosophy  of  life  must  need  to  stand  in  an 
irreconcilable  conflict  and  strive  with  the  predominating  social  interpre- 
tation and  philosophy  of  life.  What  a  tragic  side  of  life  had  Schopen- 
hauer, the  man,  to  face  suffering  in  isolated  agony!  The  disillusion  and 
disappointment  to  him,  equal  to  social  ostracism,  filled  his  soul  with 
bitterness.  He  took  the  hemlock  cup  and  choked  down  its  contents  for 
twenty  years,  to  the  last  drop,  in  little  gulps.  And  when  the  work  of  his 
life  met  with  an  echo,  which  brought  forth  no  response,  no  vote  of  under- 
standing or  appreciation  to  inspire  confidence,  he  ultimately  gave  up  and 
passed  on  and  out! 

However  bitter  the  tragedy  of  his  personal  experience  he  left  for 
posterity,  the  fact  that  the  rule  of  the  satiated  lost  its  full  power  over 


the  individual  dimimshed  the  corresponding  rejoicing  of  the  adherents 
of  the  Dionysian  idea  and  trend  of  thought.  The  atmosphere  became 
pure  and  refreshed,  as  by  a  stroke  of  lightning,  in  spite  of  the  triumphant 
•mob  at  the  helm  of  human  society,  with  all  their  lashing  of  all  who 
dared  uplift  their  heads.  Regardless  of  the  crushing  weight  of  the 
masses  of  slake  threatening  to  stifle  the  individual,  there  appeared  in 
the  year  of  1871  Friedrich  Nietzsche's  book,  ''The  Birth  of  Tragedy," 
which  communicated  directly  with  the  ideas  and  trend  of  thought  ex- 
pressed by  defunct  Arthur  Schopenhauer.  To  me  personally  the  fact 
that  during  fifty  years  only  two  books  of  the  same  kind  were  published 
constitutes  merely  an  encouragement  and  stimulation  for  the  unceasing 
struggle  before  me,  but  never  a  disarming  determent. 

With  bold  audacity,  yet  nevertheless  delicate  form  and  consummate 
art,  Nietzsche  described  at  length  and  in  detail  the  two  cultures  and 
trends  of  thought  engaged  in  the  bitterly  fought  conflict.  Fearlessly  he 
developed  the  Dionysian  idea  and  trend  of  thought,  giving  it  a  free  range 
as  befits,  in  reality,  the  free,  nomadic  gypsies  and  friends  of  free  wander- 
ing throughout  the  wide  world.  That  was  a  bad  thing  to  do  at  a  time 
when  the  German  people  of  the  new-born  German  Empire  were  preparing 
themselves  for  the  acceptance  of  a  set  of  new  Gods.  Heretofore  nobody 
had  felt  a  desire  to  go  into  the  mountains  in  order  to  avoid  vegetation 
and  live  in  the  fullest  sense  of  the  word  in  glorious  joy  and  superabund- 
ance of  life.  Thus  Friedrich  Nietzsche  had  been  left  by  the  wayside, 
and  without  aid!  No  one  can  fathom  the  mood  into  which  such  experi- 
ence brought  a  man  who  could  at  a  glance  perceive,  penetrate  and  grasp 
the  innermost  soul  of  a  thinker  of  such  magnitude.  There  is  this  marvel- 
ous and  very  characteristic  fact,  which  we  can  observe:  that,  like  all 
other  thinkers  of  his  girth,  he  proceeded  towards  his  goal  at  a  slow  pace, 
but  unswervingly  and  surely.  He  listened  for  an  echo,  in  a  spiritual 
wilderness,  which  became  to  him  a  curious  puzzle.  Indeed,  at  that  time 
he  noticed  what  he  had  overlooked :  that  the  changed  time  brought  new 
Gods,  with  which  the  regular  explorers  of  Gods  flirted.  Nietzsche  set 
about  to  get  a  close  look  at  these  new  Gods,  namely,  the  real  product  of 
his  time.  One  of  them  was  the  author,  David  Strauss.  That  one  was 
enough  for  him.  Nietzsche  tattered  his  work  and  wrote  a  book  on 
grammatical  defectiveness,  which  was  easily  overlooked  by  the  short- 
sighted critics.  He  pointed  out  to  them  the  evidences  of  an  unpardonable 
neglect  and  superficiality  which  in  most  cases  produced  a  philistine  in 
letters.  With  this  statement  he  swatted  two  flies.  That  is  absolutely 
to  the  point,  and  to  me  personally  it  is  one  of  my  favorites;  I  do  not 
wish  a  better  written  book ! 

v  In  this  work  Nietzsche  perceived  himself  as  the  isolated  individual 
in  voluntary  opposition  to  and  independent  from  the  people.  This  set 
him  apart  from  his  own  time  and  he  designated  himself  as  one  not  in 
accord  with  and  no  part  of  his  time,  by  which  he  did  not  mean  to  be 
carried  away.  With  this  action  he  showed  his  determination  against 
time's  drunkeness.  Therefore  he  proceeded  with  the  greatest  care,  in 
order  to  hold  on,  on  his  Dionysian  idea  and  trend  of  thought.    He  cared 


to  change  nothing  in  substance ;  he  merely  reconstructed  some  sentences, 
in  order  to  apply  them  somewhat  effectively  to  his  present.  What  he 
had  to  say  in  his  first  book  directly  against  the  Apollonian  idea  and 
trend  of  thought,  in  which  he  included  Socrates,  he  practically  formu- 
lated again  to  include  the  leader  of  his  own  times.  For  we  must  not 
forget  that  in  the  book  of  David  Strauss  we  find  materialized  the  glorifi- 
cation and  almost  inebriate  cult  of  the  Avar  hero  of  his  times.  Nietzsche 
could  not  stand  such  a  frenzy,  and  accordingly  made  a  decided  stand 
against  it ;  a  position  too  far  in  advance  of  the  thinkers  of  his  times,  so 
that  in  a  far  lesser  degree  than  ever  before  he  met  with  any  response  as 
echo- to  his  call. 

Such  isolation  lifted  the  man  Nietzsche  onto  a  road  towards  truth, 
rich  in  perspective,  from  which  he  never  deviated  to  the  end  of  his 
activity.  And  as  a  result  we  soon  see  him  again  at  work  on  a  book 
entitled:  ''The  Value  of  History."  .He  was  on  the  lookout  for  a  value 
for  himself  alone  in  the  first  place,  and  also  incidentally  for  the  people, 
if  such  were  possible!  Again  he  is  busy  with  a  new  dissection  of  his 
web  of  thought,  and  in  the  course  of  his  analysis  he  discovers  a  new 
twilight  of  the  Gods  back  of  which  a  gross  military  culture  uplifts  its 
head,  utterly  devoid  of  character.  Such  a  statement  at  such  a  time 
constituted  a  deed  of  daring;  for  in  his  work  he  made  it  plain  how  the 
German  people  were  thirsty  for  personality.  With  this  intrepid  step  he 
voluntarily  severs  all  connection  with  his  immediate  environment,  and 
in  faultless  frankness  and  truthfulness  he  assumes  the  role  of  the  youth 
glad  of  his  fiddle  who  goes  through  this  world  living  his  own  life  in 
accord  with  his  own  feelings,  beyond  the  domain  of  the  command :  Thou 
shall,  or  Thou  shall  not!  In  this  self-chosen  attitude  he  became  able  to 
perceive  things  in  their  true  colors;  how,  for  instance,  by  their  glorifi- 
cation of  victories  the  German  people  metamorphosed  themselves  into  a 
historical  mummy,  imbued  with  an  inexpressible  delusion,  and  how  such 
self-praise  of  their  own  greatness  and 'glory  was  bound  to  lead  the 
German  people  to  a  premature  grave. 

Nietzsche  derides  this  historical  man  of  thought,  who  on  one  side  is 
the  well-rewarded  trail-leaving  page  of  the  Apollonian  idea  and  trend 
of  thought,  and  on  the  other  poses  at  the  same  time  as  the  most  just 
and  righteous  person  in  creation.  It  is  this  that  Nietzsche  aims  at  in  the 
so-called  thought  at  the  bottom  of  the  so-called  culture,  which  by  a  stroke 
of  unpardonable  irony  had  degenerated  into  a  cynism  without  bounds. 
From  this  we  can  see  how  our  author,  as  a  man  imbued  with  a  super- 
abundant joy  of  life,  stuck  to  his  Dionysian  idea  and  trend  of  thought  in 
a  true  philosophical  sense.  With  wonderful  artistic  skill  he  pictures  for 
our  perception  how  the  modern  man  has  been  turned  into  mere  spectator 
of  the  different  Gods  and  idols  placed  before  him.  Not  even  great  wars 
or  horrible  revolutions  have  been  sufficiently  powerful  to  eradicate  this 
impregnated  habit, — this  habit  having  molded  man  into  a  mere  speaking, 
writing  and  thinking  automaton,  not  even  daring  to  change  their  in- 
herited traditional  method  of  living.  Nietzsche  could  not  forgive  this 
deplorable  fact,  and  thus  he  perceived  in  every  great  man  of  science  a 


great  numbskull,  for  is  it  not  such  that  write  our  histories,  and  would 
they  not  know  better  if  they  were  learned  in  fact? 

In  passing  judgment  on  the  German  people  he  turns  cynic  himself, 
coming  back  to  his  old  idea  and  trend  of  thought  as  represented  by 
Dionysos  glad  of  his  fiddle,  and  from  this  rostrum  he  intimately  investi- 
gated the  misery  into  which  the  world  had  thrown  itself  with  the  recent 
adoption  and  demonstration  of  catchwords  such  as  "factory,"  "labor 
market,"  and  other  terms  of  rampant  utilitarianism.  In  all  probability 
all  these  must  have  appeared  to  him  as  big  nonsense,  as  travesty  of  cul- 
ture, for  the  real  life  of  the  new  culture  could  not  find  the  right  expres- 
sion, since  its  spokesmen  were  strongly  to  be  interested  in  the  question 
how  the  masses  could  be  utilized — ^i.  e.,  exploited  for  one  money-greedy 
individual!  As  a  matter  of  fact,  Nietzsche  had  in  mind  the  great  play 
and  the  little  by-plays  of  the  military  culture !  Under  such  circumstances 
he  could  not  see  the  least  possibility  of  a  new  culture,  as  tlie  cultivation 
of  above  named  terms  absorbed  an  immense  time,  incidentally  completely 
crippling  the  spirits  thirsting  for  truth.  Everywhere  we  see  it  evidenced 
that  life  must  needs  be  a  trade  of  its  own,  moving  on  its  own  accord ;  a 
trade  to  be  learned  by  hard  study  and  application — and  to  permit  that 
would  have  constituted  a  menace  to  the  powers  that  be.  If  a  period  of 
time  wishes  to  saturate  itself  to  satiety  with  a  history,  it  has  to  go  ahead 
on  its  own  accord  in  self-assertion,  and  hence  the  needed  time  is  lacking 
to  conceive  the  indispensable  necessity  of  applied  teaching  of  sanitation. 
Incurable  disease  alone  could  develop  from  such  a  condition!  Then 
Nietzsche  reminds  his  time  of  the  tremendous  lies  which  tend  to  foster 
oblivion,  rendering  barely  recognizable  the  horrid  chaos  of  the  historic 
Gods  and  idols  hidden  in  the  background  of  this  time. 

To  the  historic  people  he  wanted  to  point  a  way  out  of  this  wil- 
derness leading  to  its  uplift.  Even  his  negative  recommendation  con- 
tained also  an  indication  of  the  kind  of  education  that  might  enable  tlie 
people  to  recognize  their  own  precarious  condition.  But  this  book  also 
met  with  no  response.  So  he  followed  it  up  with  another  work — Scho- 
penhauer as  educator.  In  past  works  Nietzsche  had  thrown  the  flashlight 
of  his  dissective  thought  upon  the  eternal  conflict  of  the  ApoUo-Dionysos 
ideas  and  the  corresponding  trend  of  thought  in  the  human  race,  as 
well  as  upon  the  modern  philistine  taking  under  his  philosophical  scru- 
tiny also  the  orgy  of  glory  of  the  history  of  his  time.  In  the  first  part 
he  says: 

"Why  tie  one's  heart  and  soul,  to  this  trade  or  that?  Why  give  an 
ear  all  the  time,  to  what  the  neighbor  might  have  to  say.  It  is  the 
action  of  uncultured  villagers  to  obligate  and  bind  down  one's  self  to 
expression  and  modes  of  thinking  and  seeing  which  some  hundreds 
of  miles  further  have  no  compelling  effect  in  any  one!  Orient  and  Occident  are 
merely  chalk  marks,  which  people  draw  before  our  very  eyes  to  fool  and  exploit 
our  timidity.  I  shall  make  an  attempt  to  reach  freedom,  says  the  young  soul 
to  iself,  and  it  must  forsooth  let  its  course  be  stopped  because  two  nations  happen 
to  hate  each  other  and  wage  war,  because  an  ocean  divided  two  continents,  or  be- 
cause all  around  it  a  religion  is  taught  and  believed  in  which  did  not  exist  a 
couple  of  thousand  years  before." 

Proceeding  in  accord  with  this  admonition,  Nietzsche  says,  the  young 


man  coming  to  the  consciousness  of  what  life  means  to  him,  will  be  in 
a  position  to  develop  and  overcome  completely  his  past  inherited  tradi- 
tions, and  even  blot  them  from  his  memory.  In  such  a  way  the  young 
man  thirsting  for  self-culture  can  attain  the  mastery  of  his  own  self  by 
means  of  which  he  may  rule  and  dominate  himself  and  ultimately  find 
himself. 

In  his  well-meant  effort  by  a  well-thought-out  book  to  elevate  the 
standard  of  education  and  thus  take  a  further  step  in  the  direction  of  a 
new  culture,  Nietzsche  entirely  overestimated  the  spirit  of  the  true 
Philistine,  who,  rather  proud  of  the  damage  done  by  him,  enjoyed  his 
new  job  of  administrator  of  a  new  empire.  Firm  in  his  saddle  of  glory, 
the  newly  arrived  philistine  could  not  make  up  his  mind  to  consistently 
follow  out  this  modern  education  as  applied  to  himself  in  renouncing  its 
historical  application,  to  go,  so  to  say,  to  a  foreign  land,  eradicating 
from  his  own  mind  everything  hitherto  taught  to  him  in  the  past  as 
truth.  It  was  to  him  an  unheard-of  appeal,  the  portent  of  which  he  did 
not  grasp,  because  it  mattered  little  to  him  if  his  own  actions  were  based 
upon  his  own  thinking  or  not.  All  the  Philistine  had  in  mind  was  to 
make  sure  of  his  victory,  and  that  became  the  highest  aim  of  his  life. 
Void  of  this  suggestive  bond  of  tradition,  he  could  not  so  easily  sever 
his  heart,  and  much  less  was  he  able  to  liberate  himself.  For  this  reason 
I  am  not  astonished  at  all  that  the  German  world  pushed  Nietzsche  aside 
so  rapidly.  Fundamentally  they  paid  but  little  attention  to  him,  though 
the  development  of  things  forced  them  in  the  future  to  reach  out  for 
the  writings  of  the  thinker  under  discussion. 

All  the  incidents  I  perceive  in  the  passing  history  of  the  human  race 
are  to  me  of  a  grandiose  aspect  and  thrill  my  innermost  being  with  joy. 
Unfading  and  unending  is  my  humble  admiration.  Hence  the  book  came 
to  me  as  a  loug-hoped-for  relish,  an  elixior  of  life.  When  a  man  like 
Nietzsche  introduces  to  us  "  Schopenhauer  as  an  Educator,  * '  well  aware  of 
the  fact  of  the  benefit  which  he  drew  for  himself  from  his  writing,  such 
prophetic  counsels  should  not  be  denied  due  honors.  According  to  the 
theory  of  Nietzsche  it  would  be  desirable  to  present  to  mankind,  as  a  sin- 
cere model,  men  of  the  type  and  kind  as  the  author  Schopenhauer.  The 
race  would  become  hungry  for  men  of  such  type.  But  as  it  is,  alas !  How 
astonished  we  will  be,  after  going  through  all  the  lands  of  this  globe, 
practically  unable  to  discover  any  men  of  the  kind! 

Nietzsche  goes  still  farther,  picturing  to  us  in  his  embodied  thought 
the  kind  of  philosopher,  and  still  better  he  shows  how  such  a  philosopher 
could  be  in  a  position  to  uplift  a  people,  leading  them  onward  in  his  own 
steps.  For  that  purpose  he  cites  the  history  of  India  as  related  by  its 
own  philosophy,  and  in  application  he  asks  immediately :  Why  is  it  not 
possible  for  Germany  to  possess  a  philosophy  of  its  own?  In  the  search 
for  fundamental  proofs  for  his  assertion  he  further  finds  and  tells  us  how 
the  imagined  typical  philosopher  of  Germany,  Immanuel  Kant,  sinned 
against  his  own  pretended  wisdom  in  bowing  to  the  state  and  to  the 
church,  living  at  perfect  peace  with  the  established  official  personalities 
while  all  the  old  customs  and  traditions  remained  in  nefarious  force  as  in 


the  past.  How  different  the  life  of  Arthur  Schopenhauer,  who  consist- 
ently kept  aloof  from  entangling  alliances!  Then  Nietzsche  pictures  to 
us,  carefully,  tenderly  and  thoroughly,  the  artists  who  have  had  the 
courage  of  their  convictions,  living  lives  in  full  accord  with  their  own 
self-made  thoughts.  Here  he  brings  before  us  Arthur  Schopenhauer, 
the  philosopher,  and  Richard  Wagner,  the  musician,  as  real  men,  who 
should  serve  us  as  an  example  in  life.  In  thoroughness  and  detail  he 
pictures  to  the  eye  of  mankind  the  road  to  freedom  from  tyranny. 

In  this  connection  he  incidentally  mentions  the  poet  Johann  Wolf- 
gang von  Goethe  as  a  sample  of  what  heights  man's  mind  might  reach. 
Painfully  he  lays  emphasis  upon  the  gross  solitude  and  isolation  into 
which  such  minds  are  driven  forever.     These  are  the  bitterest  drops  of 
hemlock  proffered  to  such  minds,  which  have  driven  many  intellectuals 
to  abject  despair  after  becoming  aware  of  the  thorny  path  which  alone 
will  lead  them  and  maintain  them  in  such  exalted  greatness  of  mind. 
And  in  many  cases  this  bitter  draught  is  the  main  cause  at  the  bottom 
of  their  flight  back  to  the  fleshpots  of  the  enemy's  camp,  where  they  must 
needs  be  satisfied  with  the  gnawed  bones  falling  from  their  master's 
table !    This  may  sound  brutal,  but  it  is  the  unvarnished  truth,  and  also, 
perhaps  the  main  cause  for  the  fear  expressed  of  the  books  of  Nietzsche 
on  the  part  of  the  well-fed  champions  of  the  idea  of  wealth.    For  nobody 
loves  to  see  himself  dissected  under  a  flashlight.     As  far  as  I  am  con- 
cerned personally,  matters  are  entirely  different.     I  find,  besides  my 
hand-labor  for  daily  bread,  plenty  of  time  and  wealth  of  patience  to  go 
through  his  writings  letter  by  letter,  memorizing  them  in  the  finest  sense 
of  the  word,  learning  and  through  the  iniquity  of  the  system  of  the 
ever-greedy  profit-mongers.     And  with  such  early  insight  into  the  rela- 
tions into  which  an  unkind  fate  had  placed  me,  I  always  managed  to 
find  a  brief  respite  from  almost  ceaseless  toil  in  order  to  read  books,  at 
times  even  politely  refusing  offered  jobs  in  spite  of  poverty  which  has 
always  been  with  me  and  is  liable  to  dog  my  steps  to  my  last  hour. 
Here  my  own  philosophy  set  in  to  the  measure  in  which  I  was  able  to 
perceive  the  crass  facts  surrounding  such  master  minds  as  applied  to 
the  life  of  Friedrich  Nietzsche  himself.    I  relished  his  teachings  because 
he  based  his  views  upon  life  itself.    Digging  for  the  meaning  of  his  writ- 
ings, I  penetrated  into  the  true  recognition  of  my  personal  situation  and 
condition  in  life.    No  other  choice  had  I  than  to  belong  to  myself  alone. 
Though  knowing  for  a  certainty  that  ostracism  would  be  my  only  pros- 
pective share  in  this  spook-world  of  systematized  Wiil-0 '-Wisps,  I  made 
this  decision  for  the  sole  reason  that  I  saw  no  other  honest  road  leading 
out  of  it.    The  full  recognition  of  this  truth  closed  to  me  all  return  into 
the  enemy's  camp.     Only  after  having  truly  found  and  established  my 
personal  situation  and  condition  in  life  was  I  fitted  to  pass  my  own 
judgment  upon  others  in  their  relation  to  their  ideal.    And  solely  through 
the  incatenation  of  such  links  of  reasoning  could  I  fathom  from  the  read- 
ing of  the  first  few  books  of  Nietzsche,  the  heights  he  was  aspiring  to 
reach.     One  thing  especially  became  clear  to  me,  i.  e.,  that  Nietzsche 
wished  for  the  race  a  life  of  its  own  to  the  fullest  measure  realizing  in 

10 


how  far  he  himself  had  become  prematurely  crippled  in  the  employ  and 
application  of  a  Will-O'-Wisp  spook-world  of  useless  brain  work.  The 
recognition  of  his  own  handicap  in  life  is  the  key  to  Nietzsche's  unceas- 
ing application  and  productiveness,  I  welcomed  to  my  heart  the  carelessly 
and  aimlessly  strolling  Dionysos  who  wanted  to  look  at  the  world 
through  the  medium  of  his  own  web  of  thought  rich  in  beauty  and  affec- 
tion, and  I  was  glad  to  kiss,  as  a  brother  in  life,  his  ruddy  cheeks.  And 
in  welcoming  the  dear  guest  I  was  not  a  victim  of  illusion,  for  I  fully 
recognized  the  unavoidable  necessity  of  a  great  longing  for  the  promised 
freedom,  which  I  wanted  to  enjoy  today !  Thus  I  had  to  choose  between 
society  and  freedom!  The  choice  brought  in  its  defense  the  decision:  a 
life  in  our  days  lived  in  freedom,  however  precarious  its  aspect  may  be ! 

For  thousands  of  years  mankind  has  been  in  search  of  this  only  true 
philosopher,  at  all  times  failing  to  connect  because  they  looked  for  him 
in  an  entirely  different  person  outside  of  their  own  selves  and  not  in  the 
particular  make-up  of  self.  For  this  reason  Nietzsche  never  tired,  in  all 
his  works,  of  picturing  to  us  the  idea  of  Dionysius.  This  trend  of 
thought  is  especially  strong  in  his  book,  **  Wagner  in  Bayreuth,"  where 
Nietzsche's  thoughts  seem  to  reach  an  apex  that  makes  my  reason  almost 
dizzy !  That  rhetoric  of  an  intellectual  man  for  the  purpose  of  visualizing 
happy  Dionysius  is  a  rhapsody  upon  the  musician. 

In  this  work  Nietzsche  depicts  with  rapturous  bliss  the  youthful 
period  of  the  life  of  Richard  Wagner,  and  his  further  evolution  past 
Dionysian  longings.  Bitter  struggles  are  revealed  to  us  which  in  the 
irony  of  fate  culminates  in  the  grim  humor  of  the  wandering  gypsy. 
Then  he  pays  a  devout  tribute  with  incense  to  the  works  of  Wagner  and 
his  ideal  types  which  worship  each  other  in  devotion.  '*The  Flying 
Dutchman"  is  received  on  the  knees;  a  warm  hearthstone  is  secured  to 
its  producer,  where  he  can  find  his  home  and  his  rest.  But  between  the 
lines  one  can  already  trace  the  bitter  struggles  of  flight.  The  inexpress- 
ible inner  poverty  of  his  environment  loomed  too  gigantic,  offering  no 
social  communion,  except  with  the  rowing  gypsies  and  with  those  ostra- 
cized by  the  culture  in  power.  We  see  Dionysos  incarnate  fight  with 
body  and  soul  for  his  primitive  right  to  decide  for  himself  all  questions 
of  life  and  conduct.  The  gypsies  and  those  ostracized  by  the  culture  in 
power  struggle  and  sacrifice  willingly  for  an  ideal  to  live  fully  their 
own  lives,  not  recognizing  in  any  way  a  moral  compromise.  And  yet 
Wagner  is  received  at  the  festive  board,  received  as  a  great  hero  and  a 
conqueror.  The  dear  home  is  secure  for  the  artist.  We  see  no  end  of 
glorification  and  incense.  This  seemed  to  me  like  a  deviation  from  the 
old  Dionysian  idea  and  trend  of  thought  as  expressed  in  the  term:  ''Free- 
dom without  a  home ! ' '  The  old  restless  fugitive  was  placed  in  a  position 
to  lay  down  his  arms  in  freedom! 

This  picturization  taught  me  that  often  the  best  educated  man  be- 
comes very  much  in  need  of  additional  real  life  experience.  For  when- 
ever man  has  learned  his  true  place  in  human  society  he  will  not  cater 
to  the  artist.  At  the  time  he  wrote  his  book  Nietzsche  did  not  possess 
this  experience  in  real  life.    The  honest  enthusiasm  for  Wagner  culmi- 

11 


nated  in  a  dithyrambus,  and  he  was  lifted  into  the  position  of  a  pure 
philosopher.  For  a  long  period  of  time  this  was  a  great  riddle  to  me 
which  calmed  me  down  in  every  instance  when  temptation  presented  it- 
self to  sit  in  judgment  over  others.  Ever  since  I  have  made  it  the  rule 
in  my  life  not  to  judge  in  any  case  until  all  is  well  passed  and  thoroughly 
digested.  This  gave  me  back  my  honest  enthusiasm,  and  never  since 
have  I  felt  tempted  to  place  others  in  a  higher  position  than  that  o1;  a 
passer-by  on  earth  on  the  same  level  with  myself.  Such  musing  tended 
rather  to  strengthen  my  Dionysian  trend  of  thought,  for  how  could  I 
have  enjoyed  home  life  at  the  warm  hearth  myself  otherwise  than  in 
remaining  a  gypsy  at  heart?  Steadily  I  am  reminded  of  Heinrich  Heine, 
who  only  loved  those  artists  that  advocated  a  complete  revolution  of  the 
social  system.  I  was  led  into  properly  discerning  the  differences  in  the 
aspirations  of  mankind.  The  one  imbued  with  the  ideals  of  the  bour- 
geoise  calls  for  the  double-faced  artist  of  statecraftsmanship,  and  the 
common  people  long  for  a  many-sided  dispenser  and  interpreter  of  life. 
The  former  will  always  stick  to  a  pattern  of  some  kind,  while  the  latter 
aspire  to  a  complete  transformation  of  the  methods  and  ways  of  life 
and  conduct  utterly  eradicating  even  their  roots  of  milennial  age.  In 
his  book  on  David  Strauss  the  author  under  discussion  has  laid  down 
this  well-established  unchallenged  the  philistine  bourgeoise  self-satisfac- 
tion in  the  whirlpool  of  national  self-adulation  and  self-admiration  of 
his  time,  and  it  leads  him,  in  his  Wagner  festival  book,  to  advocate  a 
reformation  of  the  modern  man.  For  such  a  delicate  mission  Richard 
"Wagner  would  have  been  the  chosen  one  amongst  all  the  ostracized,  as 
with  the  aid  of  the  theatrical  art  he  had  become  the  real  Anti- Alexander, 
being  in  the  position  in  himself  to  unite  respectively  Christianity  with 
Judaism,  the  Orient  with  the  Occident,  as  a  true  oracle  of  cosmopolitant 
genius,  as  a  guiding  star  for  every  free  thinker  and  for  every  liberated 
soul. 

Let  me  dwell  here  for  a  little  while  and  look  into  the  soul  side  or 
spiritual  side  of  man.  To  do  this  thoroughly  I  need  experience  like 
other  men,  for  how  easily  is  man  inclined  to  revert  to  the  race  he  may 
have  come  from.  If  we  view  this  matter  closely  we  observe  right  in  the 
first  place  the  multitudinous  tentative  temptations  which  a  diplomatic 
and  skillful  diplomacy  of  the  powers  has  cunningly  placed  in  the  way, 
in  the  shape  of  preferred  opportunities,  do  that  often  even  the  strongest 
unwittingly  succumb  to  the  lure.  And  the  moment  one  has  gotten  his 
place  at  the  warm  hearth  in  his  home,  most  frequently,  yes,  almost  in- 
variably, the  mere  allusion  to  a  Dionysos  becomes  an  immoral  act  and 
the  strictest  censorship  will  be  advocated  by  the  one  who  has  just 
arrived  at  public  recognition  of  his  great  merits.  We  should  not  harbor 
any  illusions  in  this  respect,  nor  is  it  advisable  to  pass  lightly  over  this 
contemptible  fact,  for  we  must  not  lose  sight  of  the  fact  that  the  well 
organized  and  exceedingly  well  informed  human  society  is  sufficiently 
clever  to  lay  temptation  in  the  way  of  the  strongest  mind,  even  being 
willing  to  buy  him  by  public  recognition  of  his  merit,  by  praise,  renown 
and  glory.    Some  of  the  very  best  have  been  caught  in  this  cunning  fox- 

12 


trap  and  then  turned  against  Dionysos  glad  of  his  fiddle.  Suffice  it  to 
allude  in  this  connection  to  the  splendidly  penned  and  thought-out  types 
of  Henry  Ibsen  which  visualize  to  us  in  wonderful  diction  the  over- 
satiated  Philistines  and  bourgeoise  who,  after  the  day's  well  accomplished 
toil,  rest  up  and  recuperate  for  another  round  in  the  game,  talking  com- 
placently of  the  prevailing  general  corruption  and  passing  on  stale 
jokes  dealing  with  the  horrid  sexual  entertainment  of  our  times,  in  the 
same  tones  in  which  a  constitutional  old  maid  might  lodge  a  protest 
against  the  immorality  of  Dionysos.  How  different  by  far  was  the  life 
of  Heinrich  Heine.  Far  from  home  he  died  in  self-chosen  exile,  yet  a 
free  man!  But  to  Richard  Wagner  a  friendly  home  opened  a  door  so 
that  he  could  sit  down  at  the  warm  fireside,  lay  down  his  arms  and 
armor  at  rest  and  become  moral ! 

When  Nietzsche  in  his  **  Wagner  in  Bayreuth'*  indicates  art  as  the 
saving  power  to  separate  modern  man  from  his  greed,  he  v/as  on  a  blind 
alley,  as  he  soon  recognized,  which  led  him  astray.  Quite  naturally  then 
his  aim  became  to  ease  his  innermost  conflict  with  his  conscience  by 
doing  something  for  culture  but  not  as  a  gypsy  and  outcast,  1  ut  rather 
as  a  man  of  prominent  academic  standing.  Hence  he  had  to  appear  again 
before  the  reading  and  thinking  public.  At  that  time  he  had  not  yet 
made  sure  of  the  fact  that  he  w^as  no  part  of  that  society;  that  he  did 
not  belong  there,  forgetting  the  fine  art  of  living  and  becoming  a  mu- 
sician exclusively.    But  in  his  book,  ''The  Birth  of  Tragedy,"  he  tells  us: 

"Our  art  plainly  manifests  this  general  misery;  in  vain  is  all  the  imitative 
leaning  upon  all  great  productive  periods  and  individuals,  in  vain  is  the  gather- 
ing around  him  of  the  entire  world  litreature  to  comfort  modern  men  and  thus 
in  vain  are  all  efforts  to  place  him  in  midst  of  the  art  styles  and  the  artists  of 
all  times  in  order  that,  like  Adam  of  old  to  the  animals,  he  gave  them  names;  he 
remains  just  the  same  eternally  hungry,  the  'critic'  without  joy  or  strength,  the 
Alexandrian  man,  who  at  bottom  is  but  a  librarian  and  proof  reader  miserably 
being  blinded  by  the  dust  of  books  and  by  typographical  errors." 

This  is  proof  that  something  misled  Nietzsche,  for  how  could  he 
assert  that  Wagner  had  been  an  enemy  of  the  Alexandrian  man  had  he 
had  only  music  at  his  disposal?  It  was  hard  for  me  to  grasp  this  calcu- 
lation. The  explanation  would  not  have  proven  such  a  task  of  doubtful 
outcome  had  Nietzsche  not  inserted  an  entirely  new  idea,  i.  e.,  that  of  an 
all-dramatician  able  and  capable  to  transform  the  theatrical  art  into  a 
soporific  art  for  limbs  worn  out  by  twelve  hours  of  daily  toil.  This 
mighty  dispenser  of  powerful  sleep  potations  would  have  to  bring  about 
a  condition  wherein  we  might  imagine  to  have  reached  the  top  wings  of 
emotion,  of  freedom  and  of  nature,  at  the  same  time  remain  conscious 
of  the  bitter  struggle  for  our  daily  bread,  its  victories  and  defects,  and 
ultimately  considering  himself  the  hero  might  be  refreshed  by  him  to 
new  efforts  in  life.  A  suggestion  heartily  to  be  endorsed  but  to  be 
handled  with  great  care.  To  us  it  should  not  matter  so  much  if  the  artist 
reaches  the  height  of  his  ambition  and  renown,  but  that  we  ourselves  be 
fitted  to  fashion  our  own  lives  as  disciples  of  Dionysos.  This  inflexible 
condition  alone,  this  unbending  imperative,  must  needs  be  the  loadstone 
of  my  freedom.     The  sweating  for  others  I  gladly  leave  to  those  who 

13 


like  it.  For  this  reason  my  first  duty  in  life  henceforth  becomes  the 
fashioning,  the  moulding  and  the  living  of  my  own  life!  To  do  that 
properly  I  first  must  be  in  all  considerations,  free  from  glorification  of 
any  person.  It  is  the  time  to  be  heroic  in  the  very  face  of  the  obstacles 
of  society,  the  time  to  transform  our  own  words  into  deeds ! 

Nietzsche  had  a  very  good  divination  of  all  this,  but  in  accord  with 
his  own  conceptions  of  life  he  lacked  courage.  With  this  divination  he 
aimed  first  at  constructing  an  artist  such  as  he  always  aspired  himself 
to  be  in  life,  but  which  never  existed  in  reality.  Just  as  Nietzsche  previ- 
ously reproached  the  bourgeoise  and  philistine  for  their  tardiness  and 
slowness  in  changing  their  methods  and  ways  of  living  as  well  as  their 
aspect  of  life ;  he  reached  through  the  glorification  of  Wagner  an  aspect 
^nd  an  outlook  upon  the  art  of  music  and  the  reformation  of  the  theatre. 
As  matters  are,  I  am  not  in  a  position^to  decide  if  at  that  time  Nietzsche 
had  in  mind  the  wisdom  of  life  prophetically  seen  by  him  which  would 
lead  mankind  to  freedom  that  the  tortured  indi\ddual  might  come  to  its 
fullest  unfoldment  and  development,  or  merely  the  simple  art  that  re- 
freshes a  few  tired  people  after  a  day  of  hard  toil.  It  was  all  a  riddle  to 
me  if  the  term  ** wisdom  of  life**  was  to  be  applied  to  a  general  public 
at  whose  cost  individuals  might  uplift  themselves,  for  in  another  para- 
graph Nietzsche  says  of  Wagner: 

"When  the  dominating  thought  of  his  life  dawned  in  him  that  from  the 
theatrical  stage  an  incomparable  influence  the  farthest  and  deepest  reaching 
influence  of  all  arts  could  be  exerted,  that  thought  set  his  innermost  being  in 
a  state  of  the  most  powerful  fermentation.  The  incipiency  of  the  thought  was 
not  connected  with  or  clear  beginning  and  definite  action.  At  the  art  the 
thought  manifested  itself  almost  entirely  and  merely  as  a  great  temptation,  as 
an  expression  of  that  sinister  personal  will  insatiably  crying  out  for  power 
and  splendor." 

I  take  it  that  this  thought  was  suggested  to  Wagner  as  an  irresistible 
temptation  to  his  longing:  He  had  willed  it  to  become  victorious!  To 
look  at  matters  from  this  angle  we  are  simply  justified  to  assume  that 
thanks  were  perhaps  due  to  the  incidence  of  glorification  on  the  altar  of 
his  personality  on  the  part  of  Nietzsche,  that  Wagner  reached  the  goal 
of  his  wishes  and  personal  ambition.  **If  I  elevate  you,  in  turn  you  will 
elevate  me,**  thought  Nietzsche,  apparently,  and  lusted  for  the  heights. 
The  healthy  originality  of  the  book  *' Wagner  in  Bayreuth*'  lies  in  the 
fact  that  for  all  times  it  ofl:ers  something  for  the  public  meal,  from  which 
we  could  see  how  Dionysos  glad  of  his  fiddle  became  wavering.  When 
after  years  I  read  again  in  the  book,  **  Wagner  becomes  the  revolutionist 
of  society;  Wagner  recognized  the  only  poet  in  existence,  the  poetically 
creative  people,'*  I  felt  a  pain  in  my  breast.  Does  this  call  for  an  ex- 
planation? In  his  previous  writings  Nietzsche  spoke  only  of  the  philistine 
and  bourgeoise,  but  in  the  further  course  he  burns  incense  at  the  altar 
of  Wagner,  incidentally  asserting  that  the  people  are  poetically  creative. 
These  words  of  criticism  should  not  be  accepted  in  the  character  of  a 
personal  attack,  I  merely  wanted  to  place  the  words  upon  the  balance; 
the  scales  tipped  toward  the  book  and  left  a  sick  Dionysos  way  up  in 
the  air,  leaving  Wagner  as  the  great  sufferer.     Never  was  I  able  to 

14 


fathom  this  riddle,  for  if  an  artist  has  for  his  aim  to  amuse  suffering 
people  and  yet  at  the  same  time  to  be  their  torturer,  it  is  really  the  end 
of  all  philosophy! 

I  had  considered  Nietzsche  as  ostracized  by  society  and  accepted 
him  as  a  courageous  fighter.  But  where  he  declares  himself  as  one  with 
fellow  sufferers  who  in  turn  wind  garlands  of  flowers  for  themselves 
at  the  expense  of  a  suffering  people,  I  lose  the  liking  for  that  art  and  its 
artists,  and  I  have  fully  resolved  to  devote  my  life  to  one  alone,  to 
Dionysos  glad  of  his  fiddle !  In  doing  so  I  do  not  make  an  apology  nor 
do  I  ask  for  mercy !  Much  more  could  be  said  in  this  book  on  Wagner, 
but  soon  an  opportunity  will  be  offered  to  point  out  what  a  deep  wound 
it  left  in  the  heart  of  Nietzsche  himself.  The  book  represents  the  closing 
of  a  chapter  of  his  life,  a  chapter  which  he  never  could  forget,  however 
anxious  he  was  to  do  so! 

II. 

When  at  my  past  middle  age  in  life  I  dwell  hidden  in  a  corner  of  this 
great  world,  passing  in  review  in  my  mind  and  thinking  over  the  hap- 
penings great  and  small  the  men,  the  arts,  including  artists,  my  whole 
being  is  filled  with  joyful  gladness  coupled  with  the  sadness  of  incurable 
pain.  I  see  all  things  pass  by  like  tales  from  the  ''Arabian  Nights. "  The 
best  to  me  in  that  passing  show  are  the  phases  of  the  bitter  struggle  of 
philosophy  to  secure  for  itself  a  firm  footing  upon  this  world.  From  the 
beginning  up  to  Nietzsche  I  see  but  variations  of  one  and  the  same  diffi- 
culty placed  in  its  path.  Time  and  again  a  flood  of  bitter  invectives  and 
grave  accusations  have  been  directed  against  the  men  who  endeavor  to 
give  philosophy  a  solid  footing.  Among  these  victims  of  infamy  may  be 
counted  the  many  independent  minds  who,  having  been  hampered  more 
rapidly  in  their  evolutionary  paths,  are  stamped  as  so-called  political 
criminals,  are  calumniated,  expelled  from  the  realms  of  the  established 
culture,  and  often  soon  forgotten! 

These  people  I  liked  best  to  observe,  and  I  was  interested  to  see  how 
hard  they  tried  to  break  through  the  enemy's  lines,  but  could  not  suc- 
ceed, and  finally,  miserably  tired  by  their  efforts,  took  advantage  to  slip 
through  and  over  into  the  hostile  camp  in  order  to  lighten  their  exist- 
ence. After  donning  the  glad  armor  of  joyful  victory  they  generally 
fall  rapidly  upon  all  efforts  toward  freedom,  and  vilify  the  cherished 
ideals  of  the  past.  Not  satisfied  with  that,  they  even  denounce  their 
former  friends  and  try  to  bring  them  to  the  gallows,  for  every  living 
witness  of  a  lost  manhood  was  liable  to  become  a  stumbling-block  upon 
the  road  of  ease.  This  is  the  most  shameful  and  miserable  end  imagin- 
able and  might  have  had  no  other  cause  than  the  superficiality  of  their 
daily  course  in  their  new  existence  of  the  most  polite  submissiveness. 
Very  few  of  them  possessed  the  moral  courage  of  their  convictions  to 
die  in  the  poorhouse,  by  the  roadway,  or  in  exile.  Among  these  political 
refugees  I  count  Miss  Malwilda  von  Meysenbug.  After  the  German  revo- 
lution of  1848  she  had  to  flee  and  found  a  safe  refuge  in  London.    There 

15 


she  had  a  terribly  hard  struggle  for  her  daily  bread.  This  iinexpected 
struggle  brought  her  near  to  despair,  and  three  times  she  was  at  the 
point  of  committing  suicide.  Her  desperate  straits  made  pressure  upon 
her  way  of  thinking  until  ultimately  she  changed  her  opinions.  New 
courage  filled  her  soul  and  a  new  sun  arose  for  her,  when  she  was  per- 
mitted to  return  to  her  native  land.  She  took  it  so  joyously  to  heart 
that  she  became  a  real  pillar  of  the  new  epoch  and,  mind  you,  her  great 
artist  and  idol  was  now — Bismarck !  The  principle  of  liberty  and  philos- 
ophy became  a  thing  of  the  past.  The  German  Empire,  with  its  recently 
widened  frontier,  became  her  measure  of  the  new  art,  and  the  revolu- 
tionist of  olden  times  boasted  of  her  new  art.  The  mere  pattern  was 
called  art,  culture,  and  a  guarantee  of  the  safety  of  the  further  develop- 
ment. But  the  pattern  soon  turned  into  an  impediment  and  a  life  of 
insupportable  boredom  resulted. 

The  newly  evolved  high  art  of  politics  and  policies  smoothed  the 
ways  for  all  the  old  revolutionists.  They  found  a  field  of  activity  to 
round  out  their  development.  The  well  established  authors  wrote,  and 
their  writings  were  read.  The  academically  trained  orators  discussed 
and  indeed  were  listened  to.  The  musicians  composed,  and  they  were 
seen,  listened  to,  and  well  applauded.  The  finely  molded  art  machinery 
worked  excellently  to  conjure  the  boredom  following  the  brief  period 
of  inebriate  enthusiasm  of  the  new  high  art  of  politics  and  policies.  To 
head  off  this  hardly  describable  boredom  the  great  festival  of  Bayreuth 
was  arranged.  R.  Wagner  became  the  undisputed  master  of  the  situa- 
tion. The  refugees,  returned  from  exile,  were  only  permitted  to  nod 
approval.  But  Friedrich  Nietzsche  also  surveyed  the  spectacle,  though 
he  absolutely  refused  to  nod  approval !  The  unexpected  events  shook  his 
innermost  being;  the  whole  picture  suddenly  was  transformed  into  an- 
other world  from  that  idealized  in  his:  Wagner's  book  written  for  the 
occasion!  This  new  work,  bleak,  empty  and  dark,  filled  our  man  with 
horror.  He  fell  back  powerless,  wondering  at  the  miracle.  Profound 
and  utter  disillusionment  gnawed  his  body  and  soul  like  an  incurable 
disease, — and  whose  fault  was  it?  Could  the  answer  to  that  bitter  ques- 
tion be  kept  forever  from  the  public? 

Excellent  observers  may  not  be  able  to  penetrate  into  the  hidden 
recesses  of  the  shaping  of  things  in  a  life  history.  An  unsolved  riddle 
remains.  But  truth  will  come  out,  just  the  same,  in  some  shape  or  form 
to  give  away  everything.  With  the  sincerest  conviction,  Miss  Malwilda 
von  Meysenbug  tells  us  in  her  *'Last  Memoirs  of  an  Idealist**:  **The  fes- 
tival was  so  grandiose  that  I  cannot  forget  a  thing  of  it  !**  This  I  readily 
believe,  for  a  person  suffering  from  insupportable  boredom  such  a 
pageant  as  a  pastime  must  needs  be  unforgettably  beautiful.  How  pos- 
terity would  judge  it  was  forgotten  at  the  moment;  all  went  there, 
remained  at  a  standstill  and  simply  forgot  the  art  of  living. **Dionysos 
glad  of  his  fiddle.*'  That  became  a  bitter  certainty  for  Nietzsche  about 
which  there  is  not  the  least  doubt. 

After  satiating  the  great  boredom  for  a  while  by  a  great  spectacle, 
the  different  individuals  crawled  back  into  their  hidden  recesses  to  enjoy 

16 


the  well  earned  rest  in  accord  with  the  opportunity  proffered  them.  It 
is  part  of  our  aim  to  follow  them  there  to  get  at  the  bottom  of  the  his- 
tory. By  the  road  we  will  always  get  at  the  truth  and  be  able  to  respect 
the  men  and  women  involved  as  far  as  we  know  them.  One  sentence  in 
the  above  referred  to  * '  Memoirs ' '  of  Miss  Meysenbug  proves  the  correct- 
ness of  our  fundamental  assertion,  at  the  same  time  throwing  a  dear 
light  upon  the  whole  affair: 

"The  high  sentiment  of  magnanimous  prince  assisted  here  also  with  a 
helping  hand  as  the  number  of  signed  pledges  of  patronage  would  have  been 
insufficient  to  bring  in  the  necessary  sum." 

Could  a  clearer  and  deeper  penetrating  flashlight  have  been  thrown 
upon  the  great  festival  than  contained  in  this  revelation? — a  light  which 
illumines  as  well  the  princes,  the  artists,  the  reformed  returned  revolu- 
tionists ;  but  not  lighting  upon  the  gypsies  of  the  established  social  order 
and  upon  those  ostracized  on  account  of  their  character?  And  it  was 
these  latter  that  Nietzsche  had  been  yearning  for,  but,  alas,  of  no  avail. 
He  did  not  find  them,  but  in  their  place  he  found  himself!  That  strikes 
us  hard,  because  such  a  sudden  awakening  and  recognition  might  have 
brought  a  far  stronger  man  than  Nietzsche  to  his  deathbed !  His  disease 
set  in  at  this  time,  and  in  fact  he  was  more  than  sick — he  was  in  despair ! 
And  the  cause?  The  untimely  festival  book  on  Wagner  which  produced 
results  in  fullest  accord  with  the  times  that  were:  glorious!  He  proved 
it  thus  to  himself  by  taking  French  leave  from  Wagner;  a  very  unhealthy 
procedure,  for  henceforth  Nietzsche  lived  in  a  memory.  The  ill-applied 
enthusiasm  of  a  great  heart  eternally  staring  into  his  face  from  the 
paper  affected  his  eyesight ! 

This  is  a  lesson  to  me  to  aid  me  in  my  o^vn  experience,  and  warn  me 
that  there  are  moments  in  life  when  cruel  traps  get  hold  of  us  and  press 
us  hopelessly  in  a  corner  in  atonement  for  some  act  committed  in  the 
past,  and  hold  us  there  in  a  despairing  bondage.  He  who  cannot  free 
himself  from  such  deplorable  conditions  must  needs  miserably  succumb 
in  the  morass.  A  philosophical  investigation  will  reveal  willful  cause  at 
the  bottom  of  everything.  Such  an  investigation  in  the  case  before  us 
would  connect  the  sudden  indisposition  of  Nietzsche  with  his  previous 
malady.  But  did  he  not  meet  with  disappointment  in  his  life  at  Bay- 
reuth?  There  he  met  the  naked  truth  which  was  poison  for  him  in  body 
and  soul.  A  man  at  the  height  of  enthusiasm  was  robbed  of  his  ideal 
and  driven  to  despair!  He  shivered  in  self  disgust,  grieved  almost  to 
deatli  and  hardly  could  make  up  his  mind  to  take  flight.  The  world  was 
to*  him  inevitably  round,  and  nowhere  was  there  a  hiding  place.  What 
was  he  to  do  then? 

He  knew  as  well  as  I  do  that  there  is  no  hope  for  our  present  society, 
and  that  sooner  or  later  it  must  break  down.  I  do  not  say  this  to  stamp 
Nietzsche  as  a  revolutionist.  One  thing  is  certain,  that  he  had  cultivated 
an  intimate  and  great  friendship  with  Wagner.  (Some  people  go  too 
far  with  this  point,  but  I  do  not  care  to  mention  all  that  I  heard!) 
Through  this  close  contact  he  learned  much  of  political  refugees,  and 
with  it  of  the  art  of  living,  of  insight  into  social  institutions,  of  the  re- 

17 


pairs  and  their  mind  tliey  might  be  in  need  of.  Such  ends  could  be 
accomplished  by  a  well  ordered  agitation.  Nietzsche  had  been  well  aware 
of  that  fact  and  looked  up  to  the  musical  art  as  a  means  to  that  end.  But 
when  he  discovered  by  opportune  demonstration  what  the  musical  art 
amounted  to,  in  fact,  he  trembled !  What  he  found  out  was  a  fundamental 
viewpoint,  that  truth  is  naked  and  that  no  fig  leaf  of  any  art  is  ever 
sufficient  to  cover  up  that  nakedness!  He  thought  much  and  well  over 
this  kind  of  agitation.  The  fancied  gypsies  and  ostracized  wanderers  had 
vanished,  and  only  the  proletariat  of  the  large  cities  was  yearning  for 
liberation!  But  that  course  did  not  appeal  to  his  taste  and  he  saw  no 
road  to  turn  to.  Solitude  opened  its  majestic  portals  to  his  soul, — the 
most  terrifying  experience  to  meet  any,  man  or  woman.  All  his  pre- 
conceived delicately  and  conscienciously  worked-out  fabric  of  art  melted 
in  the  sun  of  merciless  truth  like  wax !  Re-entry  into  society  was  barred 
to  him,  and,  worst  of  all,  the  friends  whom  he  had  cherished  so  dearly 
had  left  at  the  same  time  as  his  illusions.  I  can  paint  in  my  own  soul 
the  thoughts  of  Nietzsche  in  his  solitude  as  a  ragged  wanderer,  but  figura- 
tively speaking  he  drifts  along  like  a  lost  soul  returned  from  its  grave. 
But  in  spite  of  this  deadly  blow,  he  found  strength  to  hold  onto  life 
and  to  think  of  the  beauty  of  the  new  culture  to  come.  The  worst  was 
to  follow :  a  general  dissatisfaction  with  everything ;  and  last  but  not  the 
least  of  all,  he  wanted  to  go  back  to  his  old  professional  work.  Bitter 
sarcasm  gnawed  at  his  heart!  In  short,  he  sickened  to  his  end.  After 
these  many  years  it  is  still  a  beautiful  task  to  consider  Nietzsche 's  condi- 
tion at  that  period  of  his  meteoric  life  and  to  go  at  the  root  of  his  ulti- 
mate terrible  affliction.  But,  alas,  what  is  being  written  on  the  subject 
in  these  days !  It  is  almost  a  disgrace  to  witness  what  so-called  literature 
is  bringing  to  light  within  the  last  few  years.  Not  a  single  one  of  the 
various  writers  seems  to  be  able,  or  capable,  to  get  at  the  root  of  the 
matter.  Nothing  that  has  been  written  has  anything  to  do  with 
Nietzsche's  hopelessly  looking  for  an  outlet  from  his  misery  of  mind  and 
soul! 


III. 

All  the  arbitrary  outrages  inflicted  upon  our  plastic  inner  being  in 
our  youth  leave  their  indelible  imprint  upon  our  soul  to  the  end  of  our 
days.  However  we  try  to  escape,  we  remain  what  society  in  power  and 
in  charge  of  our  young  years  has  decreed  us  to  be.  We  may  change 
our  condition,  but  we  never  can  get  far  from  the  effect  of  that  early 
cruel  stamp.  We  need  not  look  long  if  in  need  of  its  outcropping! 
This  is  a  terrible  consciousness  and  often  a  tragic  realization !  From  the 
low  and  vile  traits  in  us,  thanks  to  the  iniquities  inflicted  upon  our  souls 
in  the  making,  there  is  no  escape ;  time  and  again  they  will  come  to  the 
surface  under  pressure  of  circumstances  over  which  we  have  no  control, 
and  grin  mockingly  into  our  faces  like  a  jail  acquaintance  of  a  reformed 
ex-convict!  When  those  traits  break  out  in  myself  occasionally  I  un- 
questioningly  submit  reluctantly  for  the  time  being  as  to  a  matter-of- 

18 


fact  calamity — to  be  endured  until  the  fagged-out  ego  rallies  again  to 
overcome  and  conquer  the  insidious  foe,  at  least  temporarily.  Can  this 
bitter  truth  give  us  an  insight  and  key  to  Nietzsche's  life?  Let  us  see 
if  the  confessions  of  his  associates  of  that  period  can  throw  a  light  upon 
the  question.  I  reach  out  for  the  previously  quoted  memoirs  of  Miss 
Malwilda  von  Meysenbug  and  find,  on  page  44,  the  following  data : 

"After  passing  with  Olga  some  time  at  some  German  Springs  and  Health 
Resort,  I  returned  in  autumn  to  Italy  in  execution  of  a  plan  thought  out  by 
myself  and  to  be  put  in  application  at  that  place.  The  health  of  Friedrich 
Nietzsche,  a  close  friend  since  the  year  of  1872,  showed  such  alarming  symptoms 
that  he  saw  himself  forced  to  ask  the  university  of  Basle  for  an  extended  leave 
of  absence  in  order  to  take  a  thorough  rest,  and  he  left  drawn  to  the  South  as 
if  his  Greek  soul  thirsting  for  beauty  might  recuperate  in  midst  a  dazzling  vista 
of  superabundantly  beauteous  nature.  He  needed  careful  surroundings  and 
caretaking,  and  as  neither  his  mother  nor  his  sister  could  accompany  him  at  that 
time,  and  I  had  not  yet  established  for  myself  a  fixed  asylum  in  Rome,  I  had 
offered  him  by  letter  to  go  together  to  Sorrento,  to  pass  there  the  winter  and  in 
a  happy  'dolce  far  niente'  of  Southern  climes  to  recuperate  if  not  fully  regain 
his  health." 

This  paragraph  indicates  to  us  in  which  direction  Nietzsche  tried  to 
find  his  conclusions.  In  the  midst  of  ex-revolutionists  of  1848  he  became 
the  Greek  soul  thirsting  for  beauty!  And  this  lady  continues,  on  pages 
45-46,  as  follows: 

"I  had  already  made  a  preparatory  trip  to  Sorrento  and  located  a  dwelling 
fitted  for  the  small  colony  to  which  the  original  two  had  grown  in  the  meantime. 
It  was  Nietzsche  who  had  suggested  as  companions  for  Sorrento  a  highly  esti- 
mated friend  of  his.  Dr.  Paul  Ree,  and  one  of  his  disciples,  a  Mr.  Brenner  of 
Basle,  and  since  I  had  no  objection  to  the  proposition  (as  I  knew  the  latter  from 
Rome  where  he  had  come  for  his  health)  we  took  in  consideration  the  possi- 
bility of  living  together  in  one  house.  I  found  an  unoccupied  boarding  family 
hotel  established  by  a  German,  situated  in  a  vineyard.  The  second  story  had 
rooms  for  me  and  my  virgin,  and  it  had  a  large  salon  for  social  purposes.  From 
the  terraces  one  had  a  glorious  view  past  the  green  garden  upon  the  gulf  and 
Mount  Vesuvius,  at  that  time  very  restive,  at  night  sending  up  pillars  of  fire. 
After  having  thus  prepared  an  abode  I  returned  to  Naples  to  wait  for  the  com- 
panions. They  arrived  by  boat  from  Genoa,  and  Nietzsche  was  somewhat 
disappointed,  because  the  sea  voyage  and  the  arrival  at  Naples  with  its  clamor- 
ing noisy  invasive  people  had  been  very  unpleasant  for  him.  Toward  evening 
I  invited  the  gentlemen  for  a  ride  to  the  Posilippo.  It  was  one  of  those  evenings 
that  one  wanted  only  experience  in  that  part  of  the  globe.  Heaven,  earth  and 
sea  floating  in  a  glory  of  color  tints  that  baffle  all  description,  that  permeate  the 
soul  with  the  spell  of  sweet  music  and  with  a  harmony  that  absorbs  and  dis- 
soleves  every  discord.  I  noticed  in  Nietzsche's  face  the  kindling  beauty  and 
almost  childlike  astonishment,  how  deep  emotion  overwhelmed  him  and  He 
ultimately  broke  into  a  rhapsody -upon  the  South  which  I  gladly  welcomed  as  a 
good  omen  for  his  sojourn." 

Very  well  do  1  understand  these  details,  and  the  motives  at  bottom 
reminding  me  of  Giordano  Bruno's  star  "Big  Dipper."  I  can  very  well 
fathom  also  from  these  incidents  the  thoughts  and  the  emotions  of 
Nietzsche.  And  pretty  soon  he  gives  us  a  taste  of  it  in  his  next  work. 
Hence  I  do  not  dwell  further  into  psychological  proofs  of  my  assertions 
and  I  take  all  the  time  deemed  necessary,  like  a  prosecuting  attorney, 
to  prove  my  case.  I  do  not  doubt  that  the  disventure  started  already  in 
the  South.  But  consulting  the  memoirs  of  Miss  von  Meysenbug 's  book 
further,  we  read: 

19 


"Often  we  four  were  Invited  to  pass  an  evening  with  Wagner.  At  these 
occasions  it  was  rather  strange  to  me  to  note  In  Nietzsche's  words  and  actlont 
kind  of  a  restraint  in  naturalness  and  expression  of  joy,  an  attitude  not  usual 
with  him.  As  he  never  expressed  disapproval  or  opposition  to  these  evenings 
In  companj^  I  never  had  a  suspicion  that  a  change  might  have  taken  place  in  his 
views,  and  I  dedicated  and  devoted  my  full  heart  to  this  additional  enjoyment 
after  the  days  of  Bayreuth  in  association  with  such  excellent  people." 

This  was  the  main  point  and  constituted  perhaps  the  most  beautiful 
incident  that  happened  to  her  in  society,  except  the  meeting  with  the 
warring  prelate  Joseph  Strossmayer.  She  was  in  rapture  over  these 
meetings  imaging  herself  the  motive  power  behind  these  pleasing  associa- 
tions. Alas,  the  great  tricks  and  art  of  diplomacy  enter  every  nook  and 
comer  of  this  globe  and  seem  to  try  to  use  her  for  the  nefarious  schemes 
of  the  powers  that  be.  We  can  see  from  all  these  how  little  choice 
Nietzsche  has  had  in  the  whole  matter;  and  how  his  presence  there  was 
artificial,  because  not  of  his  liking  and  forced  because  not  of  his  own 
selection  and  choice,  for  Nietzsche  knew  exactly  what  it  all  amounted  to ! 
He  could  never  close  up  and  settle  down  in  this  manner.  And  yet,  regard- 
less of  all,  the  social  meetings  were  kept  up,  and  at  one  of  them  Miss  von 
Meysenbug  recited  the  following  beautiful  verse  of  Goethe : 

"Blessed  he  who  without  hatred  shuts  himself  off  this  world,  holding  a 
friend  in  close  embrace,  enjoying  with  him  what  men  have  never  known  nor 
thought  before  and  what  passes  at  night  through  the  labyrinth  of  our  own 
breast!" 

She  continues  her  account  : 

"Wagner  was  not  familiar  with  the  quotation  but  deeply  impressed  with 
It  so  that  I  had  to  repeat  it.  How  little  did  I  guess  at  that  time  that  the  demons 
who  pass  at  night  through  the  labyrinth  of  the  breast  and  view  with  hostility 
the  divine  secret  of  sympathy,  were  already  at  work  to  disunite  and  separate." 

This  picturization  of  a  process  is  marvelous,  and  creates  in  me  the 
wish  to  be  transcended  into  an  eternity  where  there  is  no  manifold 
kindred  movements  of  awakening  and  revivification,  under  guidance  of 
Will  o'  the  Wisp  leaders  to  bother  me.  But  such  wishes  are  no  part  of  a 
prosecuting  attorney,  who  with  soft  step  and  cat-like  vigilance  probes 
deep  for  hidden  truths!  Since  from  the  quotations  it  becomes  evident 
that  Miss  von  Mysenbug  was  perfectly  innocent  and  absolutely  sincere 
in  her  role  of  peace-maker  between  waving  demons,  I  should  be  the  last 
person  to  keep  mental  reservations  in  the  background  and  doubt  the 
truth  of  plain  words.  At  this  point  my  everlasting  study  and  thinking 
on  the  subje -t  sets  in  .  For  twelve  years  I  have  endeavored  to  penetrate 
into  the  complex  sentences  of  heavy  books  and  always  I  found  new  food 
for  thoughts — and  especially  composed  proofs  for  my  hidden  nets  of 
eager  expectancy!  I  marvel  at  this,  and  I  find  greater  joy  and  satis- 
faction than  ever  in  the  struggle  of  my  own  soul;  quite  a  remarkable 
condition  since  old  age  is  nearing  my  path  through  life  and  with  it  soli- 
tude becomes  certitude.  At  such  times  I  delve  into  the  books  and  study 
the  possibility  of  a  translation  a  matter  into  actual  life,  probe  into  the 
hidden  recesses  of  a  great  and  deep  soul,  of  an  art  or  of  a  movement; 
and  incidentally  my  memory  dwells  in  dreamy,  lovely  and  yet  smiling 
solemnity  upon  the  despairing  warning  uttered  years  ago  with  the  last 
strength  of  a  long  departed  fighter: 

20 


"Rather  I  would  starve  than  depend  upon  the  mercy  of  the  high  people 
in  life.  For  the  time  being  I  am  not  sick,  but,  friends  of  the  future,  you  know 
already  what  is  my  fate.  And  if  I  keep  silent  on  many  subjects  you  know  well 
why  I  act  like  that." 

To  judge  from  mere  appearances  from  the  account  of  Miss  von 
Meysenbug,  Nietzsche  was  not  sick  as  generally  rumored,  for  he  was 
always  present  at  the  social  evening  gatherings  and  walks.  Of  what 
value  were  they  to  Nietzsche?  Let  use  see  what  the  lady  had  to  reveal 
on  the  subject.    She  tells  us : 

"On  the  morning  of  January  8th  of  1877,  I  walked  alone  with  Nietzsche 
along  the  sea  shore  and  we  sat  down  upon  a  rock  promontory  truding  far  into 
the  deep  blue  sea." 

During  this  walk  they  pondered  over  the  tone  aims  in  life  witli  a 
harmonious  consonance  on  the  part  of  Nietzsche,  and  wisdom  as  to  the 
solution.  Yet  incidentally  we  get  an  expression  of  Nietzsche  that  reveals 
his  soul :  *  ^  To  the  true  man  everything  is  of  service,  even  suffering,  and 
for  that  I  bless  even  the  past  year. ' ' 

Here  we  have  in  fact  a  genuine  and  good  confession  of  faith,  from 
which  we  are  justified  in  drawing  the  conclusion  that  the  past  year 
referred  to  constitutes  the  parting  of  the  ways  from  Wagner  and  logically 
with  it  from  all  the  inherited,  antiquated  notions  and  beliefs  which  had 
fettered  him  to  the  people,  their  customs  and  moral-code,  and  even  to 
the  question  of  his  own  struggle  for  existence.  That  was  entirely  ready 
at  that  time  to  stand  by  the  consequences,  which  can  hardly  be  verified. 
So  far  he  had  only  obtained  a  temporary  release  from  the  university  of 
Basle.  He  had  to  think  hard  on  how  to  make  a  living  in  the  future,  a 
matter  often  spoiling  the  appetites  of  many  of  the  very  best,  sharpening 
that  fate  with  all  the  ostracised  to  whatever  class  of  human  society  they 
previously  may  have  belonged. 

In  accordance  with  this  fact  there  can  be  no  question  of  sickness 
with  Nietzsche,  but  rather  of  a  pending  decision  with  regard  the  rest 
and  recuperation  needed  in  order  to  be  able  to  go  that  way.  In  utter 
wonderment  I  thought  if  he  perhaps  recalled  to  memory  the  strange 
reasoning  of  Schopenhauer  who  bragged  of  his  full  pocketbook  because 
it  helped  him  so  well  in  philosophizing.  That  may  have  been  an  alluring 
incentive  to  ally  himself  with  the  recognized  builder  of  culture  because 
there  had  come  an  end  to  the  linguistic  artist  and  professor:  He  dared 
the  attempt. 

In  regard  to  the  mathematical  thesis  of  the  soul  that  every  role 
played  in  life  has  its  cause  in  the  fact  that  man  cannot  withdraw  a  very 
great  distance  from  his  destined  place  in  human  society,  we  find  further 
items  in  the  private  account  of  Miss  von  Meysenbug.  First  she  had 
arranged  the  meetings  between  Wagner  and  Nietzsche.  When  this  led 
to  unavoidable  shipwreck,  she  thought  out  another  attempt.  Suggestions 
contained  in  many  letters  received  in  praise  of  her  book,  *' Memoirs  of  an 
Idealist,"  originated  with  her  an  extraordinary  idea.  She  formulated 
the  plan  of  establishing  a  mission  home  for  both  sexes  in  which  Nietzsche 
and  Ree  consented  to  function  as  teachers.  In  this  Mission-Home  the 
youth  were  to  be  trained  for  the  sublime  idea  and  then  scattered  through- 
out the  world  to  plant  the  seed  of  the  new  culture.    As  the  plan  was  not 

2X 


well-worked-out  in  detail,  they  could  not  agree  upon  a  definition  of  cul- 
ture. The  view  of  the  gentlemen  and  the  lady  lay  wide  apart  and  the 
new  plan  was  shattered  beyond  any  possible  redemption,  to  all  appear- 
ances due  to  a  strong  reaction  in  the  part  of  Nietzsche.  Well  can  I 
imagine  the  prospect  of  Nietzsche's  visions.  In  his  mind  he  looked 
curiously  upon  the  coming  young  crop  of  bourgeois  and  philistines.  He 
viewed  the  old  story  of  a  miserably  eked-out  existence  and  the  clear 
concept — that  an  agitator  for  tnith  cannot  be  educated  in  accordance 
with  the  teaching  of  any  pedagogic  art.  These  facts  perhaps  made  his 
head  dizzy.  We  can  well  imagine  the  course  of  that  discussion,  as  some 
time  in  our  life  we  may  have  been  witnesses  ourselves  of  some  equally 
fruitless  deliberations ! 

The  abortive  outcome  of  plans  of  this  kind  brought  about  a  change 
of  vistas  in  the  little  colony.  The  men  drifted  away  from  the  old  Greek- 
view-point  and  turned  to  our  blessed  present  period  with  the  French 
moralists  of  the  long  heralded  positivists'  school.  This  caused  terrible 
indignation  on  the  part  of  Miss  von  Meysenbug  who  saw  in  Mr.  Ree  the 
scape-goat  to  be  blamed  for  the  seduction  of  Nietzsche.  Especially  does 
she  hold  him  responsible  for  the  subsequent  aphoristic  form  of  the  philos- 
ophy of  Nietzsche.  No  better  assertion  could  be  wilfully  manufactured 
for  the  deliberate  purpose  of  misleading  the  rising  young  generation.  I 
claim,  and  feel  fully  justified  in  so  doing,  that  these  statements  of  Miss 
Meysenbug  are  made  with  the  deliberate  intention  of  warning  and 
eventually  freeing  the  world  of  a  menacing  philosophy!  We  see  that 
very  well  pronounced  on  pages  59-60,  as  follows : 

"In  the  course  of  many  conversations  I  noticed  how  deeply  Ree's  method  of 
approaching  philosophical  problems  influenced  Nietzsche.  So  on  one  of  our 
walks  Nietzsche  and  I  had  a  philosophical  quarrel  because  he  denied  the  law  of 
casuality  stating  that  there  existed  only  a  succession  of  thing  and  condition  but 
not  in  a  casual  correlation  to  each  other,  and  that  what  we  conceived  in  the  form 
of  cause  and  effect  were  but  unexplained  facts.  I  replied  to  him  that  certainly 
the  being,  the  unchanging  is  the  tone  of  reality,  the  matter  per  se,  so-called 
metaphysical.  That  we  must  have  no  fear  to  concede  this.  The  apparently  ever 
changing  world  was  merely  the  appearance  of  the  being,  only  to  us,  to  our 
limited  senses,  it  bore  an  aspect  of  change.  But  in  all  the  changes,  in  life  and 
death,  in  growth  and  decay  was  manifested  the  same  All-One,  the  being.  The 
Mlndoolis  already  knew  that  truth  in  expressing  it  in  the  term  of  "tat  wam  asi," 
1.  e.,  that  art  thou." 

We  imagine  the  painful  feeling  of  Nietzsche  under  the  strain  of 
such  reasoning,  but  we  will  continue  reading  on  pages  61-62  as  follows: 

"At  another  occasion  during  a  discussion  on  Schopenhauer  he  said,  that  it 
was  the  error  of  all  religions  to  seek  for  a  transcendental  unity  back  of  all 
manifestations  and  that  it  was  also  the  error  of  all  philosophy  as  well  as  of 
Schopenhauer's  idea  of  a  unity  of  the  will  to  live.  That  philosophy  was  also  a 
gigantic  error  like  religion.  That  the  only  curable  and  good  thing  was  science 
which  gradually  adds  stone  to  stone  to  erect  a  solid  structure." 

We  may  well  assume  that  Nietzsche  added  here  that  life  was  not 
exclusively  a  question  of  continued  existence  but  also  one  of  power.  He 
has  made  that  clear  with  his  definition  and  exposition  of  the  Dionysian 
idea  and  trend  of  thought.  If  in  his  further  remarks  he  adduces  science, 
he  was  well  aware  of  its  weakness  because  in  the  fact  of  its  declamations 
against  religion  it  glorified  the  great  labor  of  the  newly  arisen  national 

22 


God  and  idol,  Bismark,  advancing  and  the  black  banner  of  the  reaction- 
ary Centrum! 

All  she  had  to  reply  was: 

"This  seems  to  me  to  be  nothing  but  the  ancient  conceit  of  man  which  after 
the  theory  of  the  descent  of  man  from  the  monkey  has  done  away  with  the 
inblowing  of  the  divine  breath,  takes  refuge  behind  a  dignified  denial  of  the 
metaphysical,  transcendental,  and  relies  in  the  experiment  alone,  in  the  often 
so  miserable  fact." 

This  is  really  splendid.  After  all  these  years  it  is  a  treat  for  me 
to  read  time  and  again,  how  Miss  von  Meysenbug  convicts,  or  convinces 
Nietzsche  of  his  error.  But  let  us  not  be  disconcerned  and  follow  up 
the  little  colony  which  intended  to  send  agitators  out  into  the  world. 
In  the  following  spring  Professor  Ree  and  Mr.  Brenner  took  their  de- 
parture, Nietzsche  and  Miss  von  Meysenbug  remaining.  As  they  could 
not  well  deliver  lectures  to  each  other,  they  had  many  conversations.  One 
evening  they  discussed  Goethe's  "Bride  of  Korinth"  and  she  reports 
on  page  62  as  follows,  Nietzsche's  comments: 

"Goethe  must  have  had  in  mind  the  old  legend  of  the  vampire  which  is 
antique  and  was  known  to  the  Greeks  and  he  intended  to  exefnplify  how  the 
customs  and  legends  of  antiquity  transferred  into  a  Christian  world  are  turned 
and  obscured  into  spooky  things,  and  that  the  dark  turn  taken  by  Christianity 
so  soon  after  its  birth  disturbed  the  beautiful,  free,  flourishing  natural  life  into 
an  atmosphere  of  sepulchres  and  skeletons."  "Yes,"  I  returned.  "We  should 
always  keep  in  mind  that  historical  Christianity  was  born  in  the  catacombs." 

I  can  no  more  imagine  delicious  musings  than  those  unexpressed 
thoughts  at  the  bottom  of  Nietzsche's  thinking  apparatus  arising  in 
him  during  such  discussions.  One  thing  is  perfectly  clear  to  me, 
that  he  considered  quite  seriously  the  historical  revolutionists.  Niet- 
zsche's method  of  investigating  deeply,  circumspect! vely  and  thoroughly 
knew  no  limitations  he  was  deciding  for  his  ultimate  affliction,  the 
'\sickness"  of  which  he  had  to  rid  himself.  He  saw  a  possibility  opened 
in  that  direction.  But  the  beautiful  climate  and  surroundings  of  the 
South,  the  happy  associations  as  well  as  the  careful  ministrations  of 
Miss  von  Meysenbug  were  of  no  help  or  relief.  Quite  suddenly  he  then 
took  his  departure  and  went  into  self  chosen  social  exile.  After  all,  he 
had  to  press  solitude  to  his  breast  however  terrible  the  aspect.  This 
is  a  part  which  we  must  not  lose  sight  of  in  our  investigation.  The  most 
portentious  and  sublime  feature  of  this  phase  of  his  mental  evolution  was 
that  he  could  not  endure  conversations  with  his  friends  any  more.  How 
well  do  I  know  that  bitter  and  yet  healing  truth  from  my  own  exper- 
ience! Let  us  review  this  phase  through  the  self-confessions  of  Miss 
von  Meysenbug  and  then  depart  from  the  book  as  well  as  from  the 
established  historical  fact: 

"One  day  Nietzsche  came  with  a  big  package  of  written  papers  in  his  hand, 
and  said  I  m.ight  read  them,  because  they  were  thoughts  which  came  to  him  on 
his  lonesome  walks,  especially  he  called  attention  to  a  tree,  from  which  fell 
always  a  thought,  when  he  stood  below.  I  read  them  with  great  interest,  because 
in  them  were  great  thoughts,  especially  those  which  sustained  his  views  on  Greek 
culture;  there  were  others,  too,  with  which  I  sympathised,  which  did  not  belong 
to  Nietzsche,  and  proved  to  me,  that  the  positive  line  which  I  observed  last 
winter  retained  a  strong  foundation,  and  gave  him  new  imagination.  Therefore 
I  had  to  mention  to  him  something  about  them,  and  begged  him  to  leave  the 

23 


whole  matter  in  peace  for  a  while,  so  as  to  revise  it  before  he  let  it  be  printed. 
Farther  I  said  to  him,  that  he,  especially  regarding  the  women,  cannot  drop  the 
final  statement,  because  he  has  not  the  complete  knowledge  of  women.  The 
French  moralists  have  had  the  right  to  make  positive  statements,  because  they 
knew  fundamentally  the  society  in  which  they  lived,  and  they  covered  the  society 
with  their  sayings;  but  without  such  positive  and  manyfolded  observation,  it  is 
not  advisable  for  the  higher  intelligence  to  speak  so  positively  about  psychological 
facts.  I  quoted  a  proverb  of  Ree's  previously  published  book,  which  was  against 
my  taste,  and  indeed  false,  namely  that  woman  always  lured  the  men,  who  had 
enjoyed  plentifully  the  life.  Nietzsche  smiled  over  my  indignation,  and  said: 
'But  do  you  believe  then,  that  there  is  only  one  young  man  who  thinks  differ- 
ently?' Indeed  I  was  very  angry  and  grieved  to  hear  that  from  him,  and  I  told 
him  so,  too,  that  this  was  a  new  proof  to  me  how  superficially  he  knows  the 
women,  and  that  no  general  remark  on  them  becomes  to  him.  Later  we  came 
anyhow  in  our  Greek's  navigation,  and  became  friends  as  before.  Unfortunately 
I  found  that  the  writings  were  published  under  the  title,  'Human- All-Too-Human' ; 
in  spite  of  It  my  belief  in  Nietzsche's  higher  intelligence  was  too  strong,  except 
to  take  the  whole  matter  as  a  pleasing  phase  of  his  evolution,  from  which  his 
ideal  will  come  vlctrious." 

Nietzsche  knew  how  he  had  to  depart! 


I  followed  Nietzsche  in  this  circle  only  in  so  far,  because  I  thought 
truthful  and  serviceable  the  trend  of  thought  which  he  took  in  the  sep- 
aration of  Wagner  for  his  future, — I  mean  to  put  the  whole  matter  in 
its  true  light  before  the  readers !  With  this  I  want  to  stipulate  how  he 
investigated  every  point  before  he  decided  to  fight  alone!  In  spite  of  the 
fact,  that  he  lived  with  these  new-culture-transformers  in  a  so-called 
peace,  he  investigated  the  fluctuation  of  thoughts  of  those,  who  kept 
their  crampy  fingers  on  the  skirt  of  the  old  culture !  From  there  be  drew 
his  vengeance, — if  I  can  say  it  that  way!  His  headache  and  the  pain 
in  his  eyes  were  secondary  to  him: — and  only  the  principle  remained  to 
him  the  main  thing! 

That  this  point  is  correct,  will  be  soon  proven  by  his  next 
move.  His  next  book,  ''Human- All-Too-Human,"  was  indeed  very  dif- 
ferent from  his  four  previously  published  books.  Dionysos  with  his 
fiddle  did  not  jump  around  with  more  foolish  unconsciousness!  It 
proved  a  daring  challenge  to  all  the  revolutionists!  The  simple  title 
'*A  book  for  free  spirits"  was  indeed  the  long  prepared  and  well  sharp- 
ened sword,  with  which  he  threatened  to  cut  everything  to  pieces  that 
came  his  way !  It  echoed  as  an  imperious  Halt !  for  all  of  them,  who  did 
not  swing  themselves  upward!  Herein  he  wanted  to  know  the  modern 
movement  and  the  cowardice  of  the  Many-too-Many !  That  effected  the 
reader  like  a  ghost  from  a  fable.  This  book  was  then  received  very 
cooly.  With  an  exception  of  an  unsigned  present  of  Voltaire 's  bust  from 
Paris,  nobody  responded !  Who  this  unsigned-one  was, — anybody  who  is 
acquainted  in  literature  knows. 

From  that  time  on  Nietzsche  was  alone,  and  the  festival  writing  for 
Wagner  could  not  save  him  from  bitter  hermitage.  Nothing  could  rescue 
him  from  the  material  and  otherwise  approaching  fall !  For  such  a  one, 
with  a  bitter  gall  fulfilled  and  outspoken  open-heartedness,  there  was  no 

24 


more  cure ;  except  in  an  energetic  assault  against  the  old  culture  and  its 
trail-carriers !  But  alas,  the  men  whom  he  called  did  not  respond !  The 
radicals  did  not  care  even  to  look  at  him!  From  such  an  historical  fact 
I  learned  very  much!  That  called  my  attention  on  all  sickness,  which 
resulted  from  deceptiveness ! 

For  to  avoid  deception,  I  was  forced  to  concede,  that  there  was  a 
trap  even  for  Nietzsche,  where  he  strongly  considered  the  points,  which 
ought  to  keep  the  body  in  a  good  condition.  That  was  more  than  enough 
for  me !  The  whole  matter  was  fundamentally  only  a  physiological  one, — 
but  the  case  can  be  taken  even  as  a  psychological  one !  From  this  func- 
tion and  from  that  time  on,  it  can  be  noticed  that  Nietzsche's  writing 
was  on  this  point  only  a  wonderful  autobiography,  in  which  lonesome- 
ness  he  protested  very  much  against  society,  its  terrible  injustice,  and 
neverending  state  of  distress !  That  point  could  be  more  than  enough  for 
the  poor  people,  who  had  to  endure  the  state  of  distress !  He  himself  was 
one  of  them!  No  matter  how  the  different  reporters  tried  to  hide  the 
truth,  and  turn  a  false  light  on  it, — ^the  fact  remains  as  stipulated!  That 
is  the  point  which  we  looked  for,  and  to  which  investigation  we  sacrificed 
much  time  1 

After  the  whole  falsehood  has  been  unveiled,  I  do  not  care  to 
exaggerate  one  point,  and  imagine  something  that  was  not  so !  At 
least  I  will  try  to  imagine  and  believe,  that  a  man  can  overthrow  well 
established  systems  with  one  below !  Further,  I  am  positive  that  Nietzsche 
was  the  last  man  who  would  think  that  such  an  exaggerated  point  was 
correct.  Nevertheless,  after  he  investigated  the  great  error  in  its  foun- 
dation, he  knew,  that  the  individual  was  entitled  to  his  own  opinions, 
and  to  tell  them  openly  against  unjustifiable  culture.  He  took  a  strong 
hold  thereon,  because  he  knew  from  his  own  experiences,  how  easily  a 
man  can  plunge  unconsciously  into  corruption,  especially  when  he  has 
no  other  way  out  of  a  rounded  labyrinth  I 

The  manyfold  cases  of  the  freedom-fighters,  who  after  their  hard 
fight  surrendered  their  guns,  were  laying  on  his  stomach !  That  is  an  in- 
curable sickness, — which  is  very  hard  to  digest!  With  such  a  digestion 
he  could  not  make  complaisant  service  for  the  two-thousand-yearly  in- 
veterated  patterns,  which  were  already  carefully  investigated  with  the 
well  known  categorical  imperative,  undersigned,  and  for  which  a  sacred 
oath  was  openly  glorified,  and  then  confessed: — Everything  in  this  cul- 
ture is  good,  and  even  impartially  regulated!  Nietzsche  was  standing 
at  a  great  distance  regarding  this  point — namely  Emanuel  Kant !  He,  the 
scientific  investigator  and  still  stronger  experimentalist  of  life  upon  this 
earth,  saw  in  the  form  of  metaphysics, — that  the  living  man  must  have 
a  foundation  on  which  he  has  to  live  his  life!  Only  with  such  a  well 
known  weapon,  he  turned  with  a  well  founded  fact  toward  the  biological, 
psychological,  and  physiological  laws,  from  which  not  one  iota  can  be 
taken  away!  For  to  look  through  these  laws  fundamentally,  investigate 
them,  and  work  out  a  passably  good  system,  he  had  to  take  a  different 
way  than  that  of  the  generally  accepted  pattern !  His  experiences  drove 
him  to  the  well  loved  and  nevertheless  cool  science,  no  matter  how  the 
result  may  come.    He  did  not  care  for  the  primitiveness  of  man,  but  a 

25 


question  came  to  him : — How  should  the  man  live  his  life  upon  this  world  T 
Evidently  and  fundamentally  he  recognized  the  art  of  life  as  the  biggest  of 
all  the  arts  and  sciences !  That  was  not  a  small  matter  for  him,  especially 
when  he  considered  the  many  authors  who  run  into  the  enemy's  camp! 
With  this  fact  he  already  was  busy  when  he  published  his  first  book, 
** 'Birth  of  Tragedy,"  namely  the  well  directed  inheritance  of  pattern  of 
the  methaphysical  thing-in-itself,  and  took  energetic  stand  against  it, — 
the  system  of  Socrates!  There  and  then  he  thought  more  about  it,  and 
so  recognized  the  system  of  Schopenhauer  which  brought  him  the  inevit- 
able psychology,  which  seemed  to  him  a  big  monster.  Hence,  he  discerned 
the  need  for  a  fundamental  investigation  and  far  more  work,  for  which  he 
badly  needed  qualified  helpers.  And  because  the  new-culture-transforraers 
did  not  like  such  rough  work,  he  expected  to  find  in  Wagner  a  truthful 
friend!  But,  alas,  his  experience  taught  him  otherwise!  Therefore 
he  turned  to  himself,  and  determinedly  undertook  the  big  and  never- 
theless hard  work.  That  was  his  candid  resolution,  because  he  did  not 
know  anybody  who  could  enthuse  him  for  this  kind  of  work.  The  French 
positivists  were  the  last  one ;  and  although  they  h^d  a  scientific  method  of 
investigation,  they  greatly  lacked  the  necessary  courage  to  sail  near  the 
truth  and  unveil  it  to  the  awaiting  world ! 


To  put  his  primitive  thoughts  (I  am  just  wondering  here,  if  such  a 
thing  exists  in  our  life,  that  truth  hides  irreconcilable  vengeance?!)  on 
paper,  Nietzsche  wrote,  in  his  first  sentence  of  the  book  ''Human- 
All-Too-Human,"  about  ''Chemistry  of  Ideas  and  Sensations."  That 
was  indeed  wonderful,  and  he  could  not  make  the  point  better  even 
when  advised  by  others.  To  put  the  conceptions  and  sentimentalities 
under  a  chemical  perspective,  was  indeed  more  than  a  man  could  ever 
think.  He  slowed  up  his  sensitiveness  about  external  pressure,  and 
handled  it  scientifically.  With  such  a  well  worked  out  perspective,  he 
sounded  the  herald's  call  to  the  free  spirits!  They  should  work  indus- 
triously on  the  necessary  investigation,  and  find  in  culture  the  primitive- 
ness  of  the  fundamental  sensibility  of  the  ambitious  people,  and  then  only 
grasp  the  inevitable  result  of  it.  In  the  mean  time  they  should  not  con- 
sider the  external  things  which  are  openly  exposed,  but  try  to  catch 
their  grip  upon  this  earth,  and  courageously  tear  down  the  mask  from 
the  infamous  LIE!    That  should  be  a  plaything  for  the  free  spirits! 

So  as  not  to  be  misunderstood,  he  wrote  in  the  second  article  about 
the  four-thousand-yearly  misinterpretations  of  philosophical  stipulation 
about  the  foundation  of  a  right  culture.  This  curious  misinterpretation 
worked  in  such  a  low  degree  on  the  primitiveness  of  man,  that  he  had  not 
changed  psychologically  throughout  the  milleniums.  Therefore  it  would 
be  absurd  if  we  took  the  pretended  truth  of  theology  as  shining 
gold!  Therefore  he  turned  an  energetic  front  against  it,  so  as  to  paint 
on  the  wall  the  culture  glorified  thing-in-itself  of  the  Theologians,  and 
predicted  to  them  their  ruin!  With  this  well  directed  proportion  he  meas- 
ured art, — namely  the  truthful  servant  of  the  Teleologians'  system-— and 

26 


presumptuously  dared  to  pull  the  artists'  ears.    He  wrote  on  pages  16-17 
the  following: 

"Respecters  of  forms,  certainly,  with  their  standard  of  the  beautiful  and 
noble,  will  first  of  all  have  good  reasons  for  mockery,  as  soon  as  the  appreciation 
of  unpretentious  truth,  and  the  scientific  spirit,  begin  to  obtain  the  mastery; 
but  only  because  their  eye  has  either  not  yet  recognised  the  charm  of  the  simplest 
form,  or  because  men  educated  in  that  spirit  are  not  yet  completely  and  inwardly 
saturated  by  it,  so  that  they  still  thoughtlessly  imitate  old  forms  (Jand  badly 
enough,  as  one  does  who  no  longer  cares  much  about  the  matter.)  Formerly 
the  spirit  was  not  occupied  with  strict  thought,  its  earnestness  then  lay  in  the 
spinning  out  of  symbols  and  forms.  This  is  changed;  that  earnestness  in  the 
symbolical  has  become  the  mark  of  a  lower  culture.  As  our  arts  themselves 
grow  evermore  intellectual,  our  senses  more  spiritual,  and  as,  for  instance,  people 
now  judge  concerning  what  sounds  well  to  the  senses  quite  differently  from  how 
they  did  a  hundred  years  ago,  so  the  forms  of  our  life  grow  ever  more  spiritual, 
to  the  eyes  of  older  ages  perhaps  uglier,  but  only  because  it  is  incapable  of  per- 
ceiving how  the  kingdom  of  the  inward,  spiritual  beauty  constantly  grows  deeper 
and  wider,  and  to  what  extent  the  inner  intellectual  look  may  be  of  more  impor- 
tance to  us  all  that  the  most  beautiful  bodily  frame  and  the  noblest  architectural 
structure." 

Here  we  have  everything  in  a  nutshell!  We  do  not  need  to  go 
further  in  order  to  reach  the  spiritual  dainties !  From  this  fact  it  is  ap- 
parent that  man  must  build  his  thoughtfulness  even  in  time  of  need ;  in  a 
very  poorly  nourished  body !  This  is  indeed  a  true  fact,  which  Nietzsche  . 
felt  in  himself !  His  own  experience  he  transferred  to  the  human  race,  and 
here  I  am  doubting,  that  the  French  positivists  at  that  time  saw  or  at 
least  wanted  to  acknowledge  such  a  postulatory  assertion!  To 
this  I  do  not  care  to  be  small  hearted,  and  I  too  admit  that 
the  ofiicially  engaged  savants  of  that  time  declined  most  vigorously  to 
accept  such  a  fact  about  nourishment  of  thoughtfulness!  On  the  other 
hand,  they  lacked  the  necessary  courage,  for  ventilation  of  the  thousand- 
yearly  Lie-Veil  of  Teleology !  Nevertheless  with  this  energetic  unveiling 
Nietzsche  changed  even  the  inherited  grammar.  He  did  not  care  very 
much  if  the  well  handed  *IT'  represented  the  first  or  the  third  person. 
Upon  foundation  of  this  contrasting  assertion,  there  issued  from  his  writ- 
ings a  very  cold  air,  which  smelled  strongly  after  scientific  investigation 
over  life  itself.  He  knew  well,  that  his  stipulated  fact  was  not  for 
everybody,  and  so  he  resolved  to  w^rite  only  for  free  spirits!  There- 
fore he  warned  the  common  man  before  reading  his  book,  namely  that 
one,  who  was  not  yet  able  to  swing  himself  above  reading  the  system  of 
Telelogy! 

To  paint  better  the  art  of  teleologians  on  the  wall,  he  brought 
to  use  astrology  and  relative  points  to  it.  When  a  man  reads  this  ex- 
planation a  gorgeous  ecstacy  it  drives  his  mentality  to  such  a  pitch,  that 
death  seems  inevitable.  Everything  in  it  is  very  intelligible  and  noble. 
Here  he  described  the  real  philistine  in  his  fundamental  thoughts:  how 
he  tries,  with  his  aestatical,  logical,  religious  and  moral  feelings,  to  touch 
the  heart  of  our  earth,  but  has  not  the  real  courage  for  scientific  educa- 
tion, so  as  to  confirm  that  he  himself  is  the  heart!  Hence,  the  result 
is  that  the  people  of  philistines'  mentality  acknowledge  the  external 
things,  and  never  themselves!  With  this  confirmation  there  arrives 
usually  the  well  nursed  and  easily  applied  visions,  which  forms  right- 
angled  imagination,  with  the  possibility  to  show  the  real  road  where 
God's  country  can  be  built. 

27 


A  very  interesting  question  follows:  "How  could  we  investigate 
scientifically  such  a  marvelous  and  generally  sustained  case  as  the  sys- 
tem of  the  teleologiansT'  For  him,  who  carefully  and  truthfully  ob- 
serves the  subjugation  of  life,  the  whole  matter  seems  an  easy  point. 
It  has  to  be  investigated  individually;  the  industrial  investigator  dis- 
solves everything,  and  places  each  case  on  its  well  ordered  place,  and 
classifies  it  as  good  or  bad !  Working  along  such  a  well  marked  line,  the 
right  result  of  our  social  life  has  to  come  as  answer.  In  such  a  well  ap- 
plied work  no  point  is  important,  neither  sensitive  nor  impossible!  but 
remains  clear  and  plain  as  the  sun  is!  The  careful  investigator  feels 
himself  as  a  part  of  the  physical  visible  and  not  of  the  metaphysical 
invisible  things  and  directions.  Through  this  well  founded  fact  a  man 
feels  himself  contented  upon  this  our  beloved  earth,  and  gladly  re- 
nounce that  kingdom  behind  the  clouds!  Therefore  only  that  is 
interesting,  which  is  visible  and  tangible  to  the  end!  For  sucli  a  care- 
ful investigator  of  the  smallest  things,  directions,  and  different  move- 
ments, a  man  does  not  need  art,  philosophy,  or  at  least  a  man  as  a  helper, 
who  admires  such  arts  or  philosophies!  He  simply  convinces  himself  of 
the  necessary  knowledge  for  himself,  and  repels  the  teaching  of  officially 
acknowledged  rulers,  so  as  to  declare:  I  am  now  here,  and  I  can 
venture  to  investigate  the  life  and  all  its  subordinated  obstacles!  What 
the  result  might  be,  has  nothing  to  do  with  me  so  long  as  I  reach  the  full 
measure  of  acts!  Here  I  have  one  suggestion:  Provided  my  head  is 
beheaded!  Well,  then,  all  of  my  cunningly  worked-out  proportions, 
namely  the  indescribable  beauty  of  this  world  is  at  an  end!  This  as- 
sertion is  final,  but  very  brief ! 

Hence  I  hope,  that  sometime  this  will  be  the  real  fact:  the  general 
public  will  not  have  time  for  calculation  about  the  clouds  and  their  hid- 
den metaphysical  resources !  Yes,  indeed,  if  I  am  not  mistaken,  this  time 
is  already  here !  To  this  I  Avant  to  mark  a  fact :  The  general  public  has 
a  strong  impregnable  custom,  which  compels  them  on  Sundays  to  think 
of  the  metaphysic, — otherwise  they  roll  up  their  sleeves  and  with  the 
sweat  dropping  from  their  foreheads  hustle  so  as  to  produce  the 
round  of  things,  which  their  insatiable  ambitions  calls  for;  because 
this  ostensible  fact  is  the  present  ruling  art  and  Diplomacy,  and  not  for 
the  called-for  metaphysics!  This  self  forced  fatigue  of  body  and  men- 
tality with  exhaustible  work  though  nevertheless  with  art  and  Diplomacy, 
must  end  some  day,  and  then  arises  an  unexpected  question:  **Why  such 
exhausted  weariness  and  negligence  of  own  life?"  Then  only  will  come 
the  acknowledgement  of  a  true  science  of  life!  So  felt  Nietzsche,  who 
dared  to  look  through  our  old,  decayed  system  of  speculative  calucula- 
tion,  and  finally  as  a  necessary  measure  had  to  ask:  **What  for  all  this 
immense  work?"  That  only  brought  him  the  inevitable  acknowledgement 
that  his  well  composed  language  supposed  to  be  decisive ;  which  suppo- 
sition forced  him  to  see  the  difference  between  himself  and  the  other 
people.  At  the  same  time  he  sincerely  acknowledged,  that  he  belonged 
to  the  human  race,  and  hardly  could  be  seperated  from  it! 

Herein  he  acknowledged  the  faculty  of  language,  which  could  serve 
the  man, — even  in  a  strong  attack  on  the  system  of  teleology, — because 

28 


the  destiny  of  man  lays  not  in  an  invisible  being,  neither  should  it  be 
ordered  to  a  visible  artist;  but  the  individual,  the  people,  the  nation, 
and  at  last  the  whole  human  race  have  to  make  their  own  destiny !  Such 
a  declaration  the  leaders  of  the  ruling  pattern  could  not  and  did  not 
want  to  acknowledge!  They  felt  in  their  well  besieged  and  artful  am- 
bush, strongly  threatened,  and  therefore  they  wanted  to  arm  themselves 
still  stronger!  Herein  lays  the  foundation  of  a  culture,  which  crippled 
the  human  mentality  to  such  a  degree,  that  it  continued  for  milleniums ! 
In  order  to  make  an  energetic  assault  against  the  decadence  of  the 
teleological  system,  Nietzsche  turned  his  appeal  to  the  free  spirits,  and 
not  a  word  more  to  the,  previously  acknowledged  artists!  These  artists, 
he  meant,  were  the  real  cause  themselves,  because  they  lacked  the 
weapons  and  still  more,  the  necessary  courage !  Hence  he  acknowledged, 
that,  so  far  the  teleological  art  is  authorized  from  state  officials,  and  by 
them,  well  protected,  and  at  last  but  not  least  with  a  well  applied  polite- 
ness upheld  before  and  behind  the  throne,  there  can  not  be  talk  on  a 
right-angled  application  for  the  desired  economical  system!  That  was 
a  badly  knotted  point,  which  could  not  be  so  easily  unknotted!  In  this 
direction  after  this  well  sorted  explanation,  each  reader  ought  to  work 
cautiously,  and  as  quickly  as  possible  acknowledge, — in  which  form  of 
writing,  composition,  or  selection  of  declamatorial  speech  he  intends 
to  make  his  attack  on  the  present  system  I  Ah,  what  a  warning  for  me ; 
sometimes,  I  have  sought  the  right  opportunity  to  say  only  a  few 
words  about  my  own  views  in  regard  the  culture, — and  there  has  come 
already  a  strong  storm  of  bitter  antagonism !  Therefore,  Nietzsche  chose 
the  form  of  aphorism  for  his  preliminarily  slumbering  thoughts!  He 
was  forced  to  use  only  small  indications,  so  as  to  be  able  to  disparage 
the  system  of  the  teleologians ! 

Upon  a  foundation  of  such  a  fact,  he  brought  *  home '  the  rightful  and 
scientific  proof,  which  carried  him  away  over  the  candid  rule  of  historical 
individuals,  who  lead  and  mislead  the  human  race  for  milleniums !  With 
this  acknowledgment  he  inserted  that,  even  when  some  reformation  in 
society  happened,  the  fundamental  part  of  teleology  was  sustained  with 
full  power  of  brutality ;  but  forever  the  art  of  form  as  the  usual  media- 
tion was  made  use  of,  so  as  to  apply  to  the  ''momentarily  demanded" 
reformation  a  new  name,  which  should  correspond  more  ostensibly  to 
modernity!  But  deep  below  these  officially  demonstrated  deeds,  the 
old  decayed  system  remained  triumphant ! 

He  viewed  histoiy  with  keen  eyes,  and  interpreted  it,  as  he  thought, 
to  be  correct;  when  even  the  fact  was  officially  marked,  that  history 
showed  great  and  far-sighted  men,  who  keenly  overlooked  their  own 
time,  and  who  had  great  aspiration  for  a  new  culture.  They  knew 
only  too  well  that  they  lacked  the  scientific  ground  for  their  attack 
against  the  enormous  power  of  the  teleologians'  sj^stem.  Therefore 
Nietzsche  made  a  slight  indictment  on  Luther  and  his  time, — ^illuminating 
with  a  flash  of  light  in  a  short  aphorism.  He  was  accustomed  to  look  upon 
centuries  as  upon  quickly  passing  minutes.  Nevertheless,  right  after  he 
points  at  Schopenhauer,  who  completely  proved  the  deficient,  minute 
scientific  investigation,  with  which  was  only  possible  the  introduction  of 

29 


a  new  and  higher  culture,  which  would  dare  to  turn  its  back  to  the 
system  of  teleologians.  Here  Nietzsche  meant  that  only  by  this  means 
of  intelligence,  was  it  possible  to  carry  out,  and  justly  sum  up  a  complete 
investigation  of  the  world's  history.  Only  with  such  good  material  could 
it  be  possible  to  carry  on  the  flag  of  scientific  education;  and  indeed 
the  names  of  Petrarca,  Erasmus  and  Voltaire  are  at  the  front!  But, 
alas,  he  meant,  for  this  pui*pose,  we  need  such  brave  and  courageous  men 
as  Voltaire,  who  openly  said  to  the  barbarous  king:  **I  beg  your  part 
pardon,  your  majesty,  not  to  worry  yourself  in  the  future  for  my 
lodgings!'* 

That  was  enough  for  the  comprehenders,  and  they  are  supposed  to 
be  only  the  free  spirits,  who  will  dare  to  cai-ry  on  the  utmost  fight  against 
the  teleological  system, — without  receiving  the  necessary  permission  for 
an  art  from  the  state.  Here  undoubtedly  he  meant  Richard  Wagner,  but 
would  not  mention  his  name.  Here  we  have  to  account  for  fundamentally 
the  open  and  free-hearted  ones,  who  would  not  give  way  to  any  senti- 
mentality by  the  transformation  of  a  new  culture,  and  to  whom  a  small 
prejudice  in  their  provincial  surroundings  was  nothing,  but  the  human 
race  above  everything  else! 

With  this  little  glance  aside  Nietzsche  wanted  to  show  to  the  free 
spirits  how  they  have  to  arm  themselves  with  intellectual  weapons,  so 
as  to  carry  on  the  embryonic  scientific  investigation,  and  with  it  to  take 
the  right  position  against  any  pressure !  That  was  indeed  a  veiy  good 
hint!  This  well  considered  and  courageous  appelation  found  no  favor 
from  those  men  who  glorified  statesmanship!  The  truthful  acknowl- 
edgment was  lacking,  and  in  this  way  Nietzsche  was  deadly  silenced! 
The  future  men  can  try  for  themselves  to  find  clearness !  This  lead  me  to 
see  the  excellent  and  nevertheless  well  grounded  thoughts  of  Niztzsche ! 
The  outcast  wanderer  stood  before  him  like  a  scare-crow!  No  wonder, 
that  his  beloved  sister  mentioned  somewhere,  the  thoughts  of  Zara- 
thustra  originated  in  the  seventy's  years!  Indeed,  he  though  very  much 
on  the  vagabondizing  wanderers  when  he  wrote, — ^namely,  those  wander- 
ers who  composed  once  upon  a  time  the  immortal  songs  of  Niebelungen, 
and  whose  names  nobody  knows!  Such  wanderers  were  indeed  for  him 
the  free  spirits !  Nietzsche  himself  longed  very  much  for  a  long  wander- 
ing! But  alas;  years  must  pass,  before  an  intellectual  man  dare  to 
go  on  such  a  rampant  road !  Whoever  doubts  this  statement,  he  can  oblige 
himself  in  the  life  of  Leo  Tolstoy,  the  great  Russian  thinker,  and  see 
there  how  long  it  took  Tolstoy  to  decide  upon  a  rampant  wandering. 

By  the  courageous  jump  which  Nietzsche  made  we  should  not  under- 
mine the  great  carefulness  for  the  free  spirits,  especially  when  we  take 
in  consideration  the  direction  of  the  teleological  system  in  the  scientific 
navigation.  On  the  one  hand  he  calls  their  attention  to  the  jump,  and 
he  advised  them  to  be  very  careful!  Each  one  should  throw  himself 
at  an  art,  but  only  as  a  means  for  a  purpose, — ^because  the  sentiments  of 
the  people  are  still  tied  up  with  the  old,  impressive  and  alluring  admira- 
tion of  art,  and  thence  are  to  be  respected  with  great  care!  With  this 
view-point  he  came  to  an  acknowledgement,  that  he  had  to  recognize 
the  fact  of  a  possible  contradiction,  on  which  foundation  a  man  easily 

30 


becomes  a  victim  of  pessimism  or  of  optimism!  Because  a  belief  never 
was  anything  when  compared  with  a  scientific  investigation!  Only  one 
main  point  should  be  taken  as  irremissible  and  truthful, — namely,  to 
know  both  sides,  and  everything  which  belongs  to  them!  There- 
fore the  devotee  should  go  ahead,  regardless  what  the  results  might 
be.  Nietzsche  turned  blamelessly,  and  warned  the  free  spirits  before  the 
people  of  general  opinion  and  mainly  before  their  malicious  inclination 
in  rendering  calumniously  at  a  character.  The  free  spirit  should 
avoid  making  a  prattler  of  himself,  because  when  a  man  is  a  thinker 
the  necessity  ceases  of  thinking  on  God  or  at  least  of  talking  or  writing 
of  Him!  To  indicate  briefly  how  to  act  properly, — the  free  spirit  should 
take  care  before  the  silly  interpreter  of  God, — foremost  before  the 
theologian,  who  is  the  fundamental  standard  carrier  of  the  teleological 
system!  Because  we  should  not  cheat  or  at  least  deliver  ourselves  to 
the  brutal  power  which  is  behind  the  thelogian.  Beautifully  he  speaks 
on  page  44: 

"Apart  from  theology  and  its  contentions,  it  is  quite  clear  that  the  world 
is  not  good  and  not  bad  (to  say  nothing  of  its  being  the  best  or  the  worst),  and 
that  the  terms  'good'  and  'bad'  have  only  significance  with  respect  to  man,  and 
indeed,  perhaps,  as  they  are  usually  employed;  in  any  case  we  must  get  rid  of 
both  the  calumniating  and  the  glorifying  conception  of  the  world." 

No  man  could  write  more  beautifully  or  majestically  about  this 
point.  Here  is  nothing  strange  or  at  least  misunderstood.  Here  a  man 
does  not  need  to  be  a  philosopher,  so  as  to  understand  the  reference,  with 
an  especially  molded  interpretation.  It  must  be  at  last  certain,  that  a 
man  who  devotes  himself  to  free  spirit's  idea,  must  know  what  he  has 
to  do !  Individually,  I  do  not  like  to  go  further  into  this  difficult  point, 
because  I  am  writing  my  individual  interpretation  of  Friedrich  Nietzsche. 
But  to  put  a  still  better  characteristic  on  the  individual's  fictitious  eleva- 
tion he  indicated  further,  how  the  man  easily  beguiles  himself  through 
the  arts  and  religion,  and  in  the  most  cases  unconsciously  serves  the 
teleological  system.    Please,  see  the  remark  on  page  45: 

"Not  the  world  as  thing-in-itself,  but  the  world  as  representation  (as  error) 
is  so  full  of  meaning,  so  deep,  so  wonderful,  bearing  happiness  and  unhapplness 
in  its  bosom.  This  result  leads  to  a  philosophy  of  the  logical  denial  of  the  world, 
which,  however,  can  be  combined  with  a  practical  world-alfirming  just  as  well  as 
with  its  opposite." 

For  the  comfort  of  the  free  spirit's  doubts  referring  to  the  energetic 
attack  on  the  teleological  system,  where  everything  should  be  sacrificed 
for  unveiling  the  whole  truth  in  reference  to  the  possibility  of  the  corrup- 
tion of  the  philosophical  system,  Nietzsche  asked:  ''Will  there  be  a 
tragedy  of  it,  and  should  a  man  rather  comply  with  life  or  death?"  As 
if  to  answer  his  own  question,  he  said :  ''The  free  spirits  have  no  must!" 
Namely,  as  they  are  on  a  long  wandering,  they  do  not  need  morals,  and 
therefore  are  all  religions  abolished  in  this  world,  and  of  course  do  not 
exist  for  free  spirits,  and  therefore  the  road  for  scientific  ground  is  open  I 
Namely  that  direction  on  which  a  man  can  slowly  bring  the  individual 
granule  to  its  ordained  place,  without  to  glorify  before  a  religion  or  art. 

VI. 

In  the  second  division,  Nietzsche  brings  moral  feeling  as  a  well  laid 

81 


foundation  against  the  teleological  system.  That  is  more  than  anybody- 
could  ever  expect!  With  a  few  aphorismen  he  overshadows  the  whole 
system,  and  slowly  depreciates  it.  For  to  explain  closer  the  foundation 
of  the  system,  namely  that  artfully  created  moral  feeling,  and  in  a  certain 
measure  to  paint  it  on  the  wall  as  he  felt  it  after  Wagner's  departure, 
he  mentioned  the  tried  souls  of  their  own  observation  and  their  results, 
and  not  without  purpose,  because  he  calls  it  even  prejudice!  A  free  spirit 
should  study  this  foundation  by  individuals,  so  as  to  build  a  psychology 
from  it,  which  he  himself  may  believe  with  full  confidence!  For  this 
practice  he  recommended  an  unusual  mentality  and  cold-bloodedness, 
because  there  will  come  many  bitter  moments  during  such  a  work,  where 
even  a  well  informed  man  will  lose  his  mental  balance.  Here  speaks 
Nietzsche's  own  acknowledged  experience,  and  such  an  outspoken  self- 
confession  is  remarkable.  A  sincere  man  could  ravish  on  such  a  truthful 
warning.  But  that  is  not  enough;  he  meant  a  man  must  go  cautiously 
about  such  a  difficult  work,  with  such  a  brave  perseverance,  as  to  be 
ready  at  any  time  with  utmost  firmness  to  look  at  the  many  years,  which 
will  pass  by  without  results.  That,  would  be  the  only  word  for  such 
a  man,  who  strives  to  forget  his  present  in  obtaining  his  ultimate  object. 

To  consider  the  whole  point  with  my  well-weighted  intelligence,  the 
result  remains,  that  we  have  not  such  people  in  our  society,  because  every- 
body is  too  much  complicated  in  the  terrible  Maelstrom  of  our  chaotic 
present,  where  each  one  is  thankful,  with  ordered  politiness,  for  his  poorly 
constructed  existence !  Therefore  I  can  even  claim,  that  a  person  seldom 
has  time  to  read  such  books,  and  less  time  to  investigate  them  so  as  to 
prepare  the  scientific  road  for  the  coming  generations.  To  judge  the  con- 
clusion, a  careful  investigator  can  easily  see  how  the  individual  becomes 
the  victim.  This  fact  is  as  old  as  the  entire  literature  itself.  Here  the 
careful  investigator,  who  reads  good  books,  can  easily  recall  Voltaire's 
remark  in  ''The  Forty  Crown  Man."  Nevertheless,  the  same  point  can 
be  seen  in  H.  Heine's  ''The  Romantic  School."  Here  preponderance  of 
scepticism  came  more  strongly  than  ever  to  the  front.  All  these  recapi- 
tulations Nietzsche  repeated  and  pondered  on,  and  his  sincere  warning 
against  useless  tragedy  is  not  so  strange  as  to  be  unintelligible!  Whence, 
it  should  be  clearly  seen  through  the  legally  enforced  opinions  of  our 
poorly  constructed  existence,  that  the  stronger  we  hold  with  crampy 
thoughts  on  it,  the  quicker  we  run  to  the  region  of  bloody  tragedy !  Here 
is  explanation  for  it:  The  legally  enforcements  of  our  daily  existence 
robs  us  of  our  necessary  time  for  thinking,  and  in  the  meanwhile  the  rep- 
resentations of  the  teleological  system  works  industriously  behind  our 
backs  on  the  well-weighted  disunion,  which  representations  easily  lure 
the  individual  as  well  as  nations  into  bloody  battles !  That  is  the  result 
of  negligence,  which  leads  to  unspeakable  tribulation  and  bloody  tragedy, 
and  indeed,  this  point  ought  to  compel  our  intellectuals  to  meditation ! 

Therefore  Nietzsche  urged  his  reader  to  have  courage  and  remain 
faithfully  on  the  once  started  work,  and  not  to  get  discouraged !  Here  an 
investigator  can  see  how  he  (Nietzsche)  vegitated  on  his  work,  but  never- 
theless he  tried  to  be  courageous.  In  his  own  energetical  onward  march, 
he  explained  what  kind  of  a  profession  psychology  was;  what  kind  of 

M 


tools, — as  for  instance  a  big  operating  table,  many  and  very  sharp  knives, 
and  very  strong  tongs, — we  need  for  it. 

These  are  all  such  indications  as  cannot  be  understood  by  every- 
body !  Therefore,  he  turned  his  urgency  of  request  to  the  free  spirits  and 
wanderer,  because  the  operation  of  an  individual's  moral  feelings  consti- 
tutes the  utmost  attack  upon  the  strongly  armed  terribleness  of  the  tele- 
ological  system.  This  the  investigator  has  to  see  clearly,  because  the  ever- 
repeatedly  coming  obstacles  are  too  many  in  our  over-crowded  circle  of 
existence,  where  the  boastfully  hurled  grace-bones  are  received  with 
cowardly,  but  nevertheless  very  bitter  and  cunning  looks,  so  as  to  ex- 
change it  opportunely  with  dreadful  indignation!  At  last  each  one 
droops !  Such  a  self  made  elevation  for  courage  and  sharp  looks  is  linked 
with  a  very  sensitive  suffering  and  usually  brings  discouragement. 
Nietzsche  only  too  promptly  acknowledged  this  and  therefore  he  longed 
for  a  free  life, — a  prolonged  wandering !  Out  from  such  study  he  came 
to  the  conclusion,  that  a  wanderer  becomes  a  play-ball  in  any  circle  of 
existence,  and  how  the  same  wanderer  must  elevate  himself  to  a  merci- 
less carving  of  his  own  mentality,  if  he  ever  wants  to  overcome  the  cun- 
ning boss  of  his  present  subjugated  existence. 

This  remarkable  point  of  our  daily  existence  Nietzsche  supported 
sincerely,  and  mainly  because  of  the  necessity  for  education  in  mental 
sharpness,  so  as  to  reach  every  moral  feeling  with  such  an  obvious  fact 
of  our  daily  misconstrued  existence.  With  this  tacit  foundation,  an  in- 
vestigator could  easily  reach  the  authoritative  difficulty  of  the  social 
problem,  about  which  all  the  old  philosophers  never  vexed  themselves! 
In  such  a  manner  we  can  see  the  whole  history  of  Nietzsche's  thinking, 
which  was  carefully  wrapped  in  a  nutshell.  Therefore,  the  future  be- 
came to  him  gray!  This  was  the  main  cause  of  his  energetic  attack  on 
the  artists  who  continually  supported  the  present  and  dominant  power 
of  the  teleological  system !  Therefore  he  pointed  his  finger  at  the  leaders 
of  history,  who  knew  how  to  change  the  remotest  thoughts  and  emotions 
in  their  books,  so  as  to  grant  very  respectfully  the  highest  praise  to  the 
whole  phraseology  of  teleology,  so  that  nothing  else  would  seem  to  be 
more  important  upon  this  world  of  ours  than  the  old  form  of  God!!!  In 
between  likewise  the  niggardly  compelled  existence  of  the  present,  as 
well  as  the  fact  of  the  hungers  of  nations,  subjects  of  the  brutal  state 
power,  which  swung  with  the  ninetail  whip,  and  made  everybody  ready 
for  a  Zippel-polka,  where  binital  and  merciless  whipping  ruled  the  danc- 
ing!   For  this  we  receive  a  flashlight  on  pages  56-57: 

"If  it  is  certain,  however,  that  superficiality  in  psychological  observation  has 
laid,  and  still  lays,  the  most  dangerous  snares  for  human  judgments  and  con- 
clusions, then  there  is  need  now  of  that  endurance  of  work  which  does  not  grow 
weary  of  piling  stone  upon  stone,  pebble  on  pebble;  there  is  need  of  courage  not 
to  be  ashamed  of  such  humble  work  and  to  turn  a  deaf  ear  to  scorn." 

This  sentence  would  not  allow  doubt;  but  the  present  of  Nitzsche's 
time,  did  not  want  to  understand!  The  intellectuals,  who  indeed  were 
able  to  carry  on  progressive  education,  thought  it  over  cunningly  before 
they  started  on  this  dangerous  road.  We  have  certain  facts  for  it !  We 
never  failed  to  investigate  I  Nobody  is  excluded  from  it !  It  is  a  wonder, 
however  we  could  reach  such  a  conclusion  1    With  such  a  positive  result 

SS 


we  became  simply  negligent  toward  our  daily  existence,  and  only  with 
such  pernicious  tactics  we  gained  the  necessaiy  time  for  an  onward 
march  regardless  what  might  happen  to  us,  and  in  such  a  manner  we 
could  see  the  fundamental  fact  of  people's  moral  feelings!  We  took 
time  for  thinking,  and  everything  else  became  to  us  of  equal  values! 
With  such  actions  w^e  could  lose  nothing,  because  we  never  had  anything  I 
On  the  contrary  we  won  without  a  false  imagination  a  true  world !  This 
indeed  was  payment ! 

For  the  purpose  of  maintaining  his  indication,  which  overturned  the 
economical  question  of  all  the  previous  philosophies,  Nietzsche  brought 
psychology  in  as  a  well  entitled'  addition  to  science,  w^hich  should  be 
worked  out  for  the  welfare  of  the  individual  as  well  as  the  masses.  With 
such  a  characteristic  concession  he  intended  to  abolish  the  main  factor 
of  our  economical  question.  But  at  the  same  time,  whenever  the  economi- 
cal question  arises  in  society,  our  teleological  representation  have  a 
cunning  question,  namely  about  the  intelligible  freedom !  That  question, 
Nietzsche  knew  too  well,  and  he  sincerely  answered:  *'It  is  always  the 
same  old  act  of  espionage :  if  the  new-culture-maker  will  remain  truthful 
to  the  teleological  system,  and  act  accordingly.  So  as  to  be  defended 
from  further  attack,  Nietzsche  recommends  pressing  forward  in  science, 
regardless  of  prejudice  for  or  against  the  teleological  system!  For 
him  this  was  the  main  point  onlj'-,  that  science  for  the  sake  of  justice 
and  truthfulness  reached  its  point  of  evolution,  and  to  everything  else 
he  remained  indifferent.  With  this  situation  triumphed  the  cause  of  life 
and  still  more  the  socialogical  problem !  That  this  indication  is  true, 
please,  consider  the  attack  of  a  teleological  representative's  book, 
Johannes  Schlaf,  says  on  page  125: 

"As  for  the  rest  and  essential  consideration  it  is  but  a  wantoness;  and  we 
say,  that  the  old  Schopenhauer  equally  to  Nietzsche  indicates  on  the  just  men- 
tioned spot,  who  deducted  from  it  the  understanding  of  a  moral  responsibility  in 
his  metaphysical  form  of  dejection  ('guilt  of  consciousness'),  which  pulls  frequent- 
ly behind  itself  certain  action— a  view-point  which  is  current  to  us  from  Christian 
ethics — is  to  be  taken  ten  times  more  seriously  than  that,  what  Nietzsche 
give  us  here  for  best  amusement!" 

That  v\  indeed  enough!  After  years  came  an  answer,  indictment, 
and  even  proof  not  to  take  Nietzsche  seriously !  But  the  fact  remains : 
the  big  imaginable  wantoness,  which  he  recommended  to  free  spirits 
became  nonsensical  to  the  teleological  followers!  Even  I  myself  w^ant 
to  acknowledge  this  fact,  and  even  so  far  as  to  the  point  of  jota!  The 
teleologians  never  imagined  such  a  strong  attack!  Therefore  I  am  not 
wondering  what  Miss  Malwilda  von  Mej^senbug  bad  to  say  at  that  time 
against  that  book.  Nevertheless,  Nietzsche  knew,  from  the  well  founded 
ground  of  his  experience,  what  kind  of  fruit — scientific  investigation 
would  bring.  He  did  not  care  for  any  party,  at  least  party  of  politicians, 
and  far  less  for  the  existence  built  up  by  political  power,  but  he  cared 
very  much  for  the  interests  of  life,  which  were  disguised,  and  hindered 
in  evolving  establishment  through  the  false  form  and  sound  of  teleology. 
To  strengthen  this  stipulation,  he  talked  of  Schopenhauer,  who  acknowl- 
edged that  there  is  a  tremendous  power  in  man,  which  he  positively 
thought,  what  he  wanted  to  be!     That  desire  as  security  for  character, 

34 


is  the  most  important  part,  even  before  any  existence!  With  this 
assertion,  he  attacked  Plato  and  Kant,  and  indicated  both  as  accomplices 
of  the  teleological  system!  In  this  manner  came  continually  the  many 
conclusions.  When  a  man  is  constantly  under  threat,  in  his  existence, 
even  before  he  has  time  to  reflect  fundamentally,  then  it  was  not  his  guilt 
how  he  acted  'good  or  bad,'  but  it  was  very  important  question  for  the 
monster  system,  because  it  demanded,  under  the  protection  of  state 
authority,  that  every  man  must  have  a  moral  feeling!  A  bad  action 
against  the  teleological  system  ought  to  call  forth  repentance  and  sting 
of  conscience!  With  such  enforced  doctrine  upon  him^  man  thought 
himself  always  free,  although  he  never  was  free!  That  fact  was  true^ 
in  the  past,  and  is  still  the  motto  today!  No  people  upon  this  globe 
are  excluded  from  it!  With  this,  Nietzsche  wanted  to  concede,  that 
nobody  is  personally  responsible  for  his  actions.    Please,  read  on  page  61 : 

"Nobody  is  responsible  for  his  action,  nobody  for  his  nature;  to  judge  Is 
identical  with  being  unjust.  This  also  applies  when  an  individual  judges  himself. 
The  theory  is  as  clear  as  sunlight,  and  yet  every  one  prefers  to  go  back  into  the 
shadow  and  the  untruth,  for  fear  of  the  consequences." 

His  maxims  are  beautiful  sunrays,  and  arranged  so  well  that  nothing 
could  remain  misunderstood.  Everything  has  its  well-selected  place, 
namely  as  the  teleological  system  furnished  the  best  disvaluation !  But, 
for  to  turn  the  real  light  this  disvaluation,  he  called  attention  to  the 
frightful  beast  in  man,  which  drives  him  to  faintness  if  he  has  not  moral 
feeling!  Upon  this  foundation,  man  has  made  for  himself  a  merciless 
law,  with  which  he  parted  from  animal  with  disgust!  In  this  category 
surely  belongs  the  slave,  who  even  today  is  no  man!  This  is  an  undis- 
puted reference  or  acknowledgement  of  science.  Our  world  has  existed 
for  millions  of  years — ^but :  upon  this  same  globe  is  still  taught  the  story 
of  Kain  and  Abel!  This  again  was  his  finger  on  the  gentlemen  of  tele- 
ology, because  he  writes  on  page  62 : 

"But  if  one  were  to  imagine  a  man  of  eighty  thousand  years,  one  would  have 
in  him  an  absolutely  changeable  character,  so  that  a  number  of  different  individu- 
als would  gradually  develop  out  of  him." 

With  it  he  explained,  how  long  a  time  it  takes  to  discipline  a  char- 
acter !  But  when  we  look  around  us  today  on  the  discipline  of  people  for 
characted,  we  have  at  a  moment's  notice  enough,  because  another  chan- 
nel is  being  opened,  through  which  rushes  misconduct  and  wretchedness. 
Here  is  a  ready  proof  for  it :  We  teach*  our  children  reading,  writing, 
and  a  little  arithmetic;  then  in  a  furious  haste  we  compell  them  to 
produce  for  others,  who  satiate  themselves  on  it  even  to  dyspepsia,  and 
with  such  a  malady  entangled,  they  gather  together  the  greatest  arts 
(about  which  we  know  a  well  founded  fact,  namely,  they  give  service 
to  the  teleological  system!),  which  these  dyspeptics  show  to  the  public 
as  winded-up  sensation,  behind  which  these  gentlemen  of  dyspepsis  like 
to  make  believe  their  *  humanity.'  Further  and  better,  no  man  could 
describe  the  whole  point  of  our  entangled  arts  with  our  modei*n  money- 
kings!  Nevertheless,  if  one  has  good  Common-sense  for  a  thorough 
investigation,  he  can  easily  and  without  any  doubt  find  here  that 
Nietzsche  deliberately  put  up  an  obvious  protest  against  our  present 
economical  corruption!    To  all  these  energetic  attacks,  he  did  not  care 

35 


to  be  called  an  agitator!  Nevertheless,  he  knew  only  too  well,  how  to 
bring  the  hidden  point  of  our  never  ending  injustice  on  the  right  road, 
and  handle  it  to  the  rig^it  man!  He  did  not  cheat  himself  with  such  a 
stipulation,  at  least  he  under-estimated  the  tremendous  power  of  a 
tyrannical  system.  Therefore  he  turned  like  a  tricky  sneak,  so  as  to 
save  the  cause  of  Justice!  He  knew  only  too  well  the  hidden  thoughts 
of  the  teleologians !  After  more  than  thirty  years,  we  find  a  very  in- 
genious reference  to  this  writing,  in  the  book  of  Johannes  Schlaf,  on 
page  277-8 : 

"Once  again  is  the  world  and  time  so  restless  and  full  of  'sin,'  of  decay, 
Insipidness,  perpetuation,  shallow  and  silly  intellectual  chattering  and  gabbling! 
Is  it  not  "epilepticbecoming?"  And  just  for  those,  who  have  all  truth  and  power 
of  kind  and  individuality?  For  to  see  such  a  complete  hospital — example  as  the 
philosopher  Nietzsche,  how  it  is  allowed  such  a  free  talking,  yes,  how  it  impresses 
the  utmost  operation  over  all  Europe  for  twenty  years,  and  find  the  most  extensive 
resonance;  yes,  that  is  epileptic — even  'krazybecoming.'  May  God  take  care,  that 
all  these  should  not  make  the  true  man  and  the  true  kind  of  manhood  to  one,  and 
who  knows  to  what  an  intriguing  and  'bad'  daemon!" 

In  the  begining  the  literates  intended  to  keep  silent  about  Nietzsche ; 
then  they  accused  him  of  lack  of  earnestness,  but  when  courage  spread 
all  over  Europe,  then  the  literates  hallooed  their  heads  off,  like  a  pitiless 
censor,  who  shall  have  all  the  armament  of  the  best  bubble-instrument 
of  academical  education'  All  this  insipid  agitation  did  not  matter  to  the 
progress  of  understanding  the  exactness  of  our  corrupt  society !  Nietzsche 
spread  his  thoughts  with  ink  upon  our  globe,  but  more  on  the  freedom 
fighting  descendants,  who  suck  fresh  courage,  which  no  power  of  modem 
diplomacy  can  drive  away!  Seldom  had  I  tears  upon  my  rough  cheeks, 
but  just  now  I  feel  an  unexpected  happiness,  which  draws  from  my 
eyes  some  tears!  A  strong  vigor  flows  in  my  vein,  which  makes  me 
positive  that  all  the  yearnings  of  freedom  feel  stronger;  that  we  all 
together  have  molded  a  tremendous  WILL,  on  which  strong  foundation 
we  want  sincerely  to  remember  the  case  of  our  unfortunate  Nietzsche  { 
This  day  of  remembrance  shall  be  for  us  a  magnificent  waraing  against 
the  tyrannical  power  of  the  teleological  system !  Did  he  leave  us  many 
truthful  warnings;  we  must  digest  carefully  all  of  them  in  our  men- 
tality ! 

Nietzsche  knew  only  too  well  what  he  wanted  to  write,  and  he 
never  became  shy,  thereby  denying  his  own  convictions  1  It  may  be  that 
he  wrote  only  for  the  highest  intellects.  But  right  there  he  had  a  strong 
warning  for  them,  namely  their  unexpected  entanglement  with  a  party, 
or  what  should  prove  far  worse,  not  to  try  to  be  a  Herald!  But  what 
should  we  do,  when  our  daily  existence  drives  us  into  the  different  schools 
of  experience  ?  and  we  have  to  talk  for  long  time  out  of  it !  This  he  knew, 
and  therefore  he  fetched  the  gabbler  by  his  honor,  and  warned  him 
against  mixing  with  power  of  custom  1  Not  to  convict  him  of  cowardness, 
but  to  open  for  him  a  road  on  which  the  unconscious  gabbler  could  finish 
his  work  of  reconstruction  already  begun!  This  very  remarkable  point 
claimed  our  attention,  and  indeed,  we  became  very  industrious  with  less 
gabbling.  We  therefore  renounced  the  very  ancient  conceptions  of 
society  because  we  knew  that  every  new  idea  called  for  martyrs!  This 
hint  showed  us  all  the  chosen  directions  on  which  a  lover  orifreedom 

36 


deliberately  put  the  saying  from  New  Testament  18.14:  **Who  lower  him- 
self, he  will  be  elvated."  That  is  easy  to  understand!  But,  to  make  his 
point  still  stronger  and  more  final  for  the  free  spirits,  he  writes  on 
page  107 : 

"The  complete  irresponsibility  of  man  for  his  actions  and  his  nature  is  the 
bitterest  drop  which  he  who  understands  must  swallow  if  he  was  accustomed  to 
see  the  patent  nobility  of  his  humanity  in  responsibility  and  duty." 

This  remark  drove  many  and  brave  freedom  fighters  to  bitter  des- 
peration, because  they  became  melancholic,  when  they  found  out  that 
they  never  were  on  the  right  track,  and  what  was  for  them  far  worse, 
peculiar  acknowledgment  reaches  only  a  very  careful  investigator,  who 
know  to  transform  positively  his  daily  meagerness  to  a  vivid  loftiness 
of  a  frivolous  wanderer  or  free  spirit;  who  know  that  he  has  to  go 
further  and  further,  and  always  songless !  Armed  with  such  indications 
there  came  to  many  men  of  understanding  a  flashing  perception,  which 
molded  a  new  doctrine  for  them:  ** Where  we  cannot  sing,  there  we 
have  to  be  in  a  huiTy."  With  such  a  self -constructed  doctrine,  we  nursed 
in  ourselves  a  sweetness,  and  indeed,  we  became  i*eady  to  forget  the 
f rightfulness  of  the  states — deliberately  we  drove  the  Christian  pity 
from  our  head,  and  still  further,  we  refused  to  confess  any  guilt  I  With 
this  resolute  decision  we  freed  ourselves  from  the  enforced  antiquity  of 
the  teleological  system. 

VII 

Nietzsche  wrote  only  that  which  he  had  conquered!  In  such  a 
manner  he  liked  to  see  the  free  spirits!  Whoever  could  not  digest  the 
first  and  the  second  division  of  his  ''Human-All-Too-Human"  might  as 
well  stay  away!  He  was  a  mere  pie-crust,  because  he  knew  how  the 
highest  intellect  hung  on  the  art  and  the  brought  hither  system!  He 
knew  more  and  even  positively  the  fickleness  of  the  most  ardent  freedom- 
fighters,  whom  he  wanted  now  to  illuminate  with  a  brisk  flashlight !  No 
one  should  dare  to  imagine  that  our  thousand  years'  system  of  tyranny 
is  standing  on  weak  feet!  Therefore  he  hurled  strikingly  into  the 
infinitely  big  battle  ground  of  the  many  battles  for  freedom  before  the 
new-constructors,  and  again  warns  them,  that  not  one  had  the  right  to 
mix-up  individually  I  Explanation:  All'  the  imagined  possibilities  of 
ending  our  tyrannical  system  with  a  moment  strike  on  a  leader,  was  for 
Nietzsche  an  unforgiving  foolishness!  He  meant,  that  the  big  evil  was 
deeper  than  any  one  could  imagine!  Here  he  wanted  to  stipulate  the 
unavoidable  necessity  of  psychology  being  used  in  all  the  coming  battles 
for  freedom!  In  spite  of  such  a  well  founded  conception  of  the  future, 
the  necessary  work  for  the  reconstruction  of  our  decaying  society  has 
to  be  taken  up,  and  only  with  grain-like  digestion  and  more  with  bar- 
baric operating  knives !  Then  he  resolved  to  go  on  a  prolonged  wander- 
ing, so  as  to  lose  his  identity  entirely!  This  indication  could  drive  us 
to  bitter  tears,  and  we  were  not  quite  so  innocent  in  the  whole  proceeding. 
The  cunning  fox  has  nothing  against  our  acknowledgment  I  In  between 
we  had  to  continue  our  work,  piece  by  piece,  until  we  threw  away  the 

17 


ancient  'clothes'  of  the  teleological  system.    After  the  division  of  Moral 
Feeling  appears  as  conclusion  in  his  book,  The  Religious  Life. 

Whenever  a  sincere  investigator  meddles  with  scientific  investiga- 
tion, he  is  instantly  elevated  to  a  higher  degree  of  expression;  and  he 
can  handle  quite  differently  the  daily  words  used,  which  he  endeavors 
to  explain  to  the  right  point  of  his  conception  for  the  general  idea  of 
human  progress!  An  honest  man  for  instance,  who  could  not  free  him- 
self from  the  primitive  conception  of  teleological  imagination,  usually 
views  the  religious  life  with  different  senses  than  a  man  of  science. 
To  the  honest  man  religion  is  a  necessary  sublimity,  which  brings  the 
man  to  the  higher  steps  of  life.  Tolstoy  was  one  of  them!  But  when 
a  free  spirit  puts  the  words  'religious  life'  on  his  operating  table,  and 
cuts  them  over,  he  comes  to  different  results.  In  regardto  such  a  fact, 
the  careful  investigator  feels  a  praiseworthy  sensation,  but  he  does  not 
know  where  to  place  it!  Nobody  else  is  there — only  a  human  shadow:  I! 
In  such  a  manner,  Nietzsche  wanted  his  followers  to  proceed  and  indeed 
that  way  we  progressed!  Therefore  we  do  not  need  to  ask:  ''What  is 
our  work  good  for?"  In  the  first  line  we  owe  something  to  ourselves! 
Namely:  Justice!  Should  that  point  prove  a  failure,  then  we  must  find 
the  cause.  The  state  for  instance  is  a  form  of  tremendous  power 
with  a  person  as  a  leader!  The  foundation  of  it  is:  the  teleo- 
logical system!  Such  an  acknowledgment  is  justice  which  we  owe  to 
ourselves !  Over  such  a  fact  we  should  not  nurse  cheating.  With  such  an 
assertion  and  as  free  spirits,  we  intend  even  to  uphold  and  nurse  the 
hidden  doctors  of  honorable  science.  To  such  a  devotion,  Nietzsche 
recommended  to  the  free  spirits.  We  accepted  it,  and  freshly  resolved 
to  carry  on  the  good  cause,  regardless  of  our  socially  forced  existence! 
This  is  in  so  far  consequent,  as  the  authorities  of  our  system  worry  them- 
selves about  our  well-being  and  doing!  But  that  is  in  our  view-point 
nothing  more  than  an  act  of  espionage !  Therefore,  we  are  daring  enough 
to  show  our  backs  to  such  actions!  With  lofty  unconcern  we  want  to 
go  wherever  it  pleases  us !  Therefore  and  in  spite  of  all  tyranical  actions 
against  the  frivolous  wanderer,  we  know,  that  we  can  dare  to  sing  as 
it  pleases  us  on  our  rampant  wanderings!  With  such  a  cheerful  amuse- 
ment we  can  take  up  our  investigation  of  "Religious  Life"! 

"The  Double  Fight  Against  Evil."  That  is  the  introduction.  In  a 
moment  of  our  meditation  about  the  big  battle  ground,  we  construe 
a  view  of  a  tragedy.  That  is  indeed  a  remarkable  case.  Somebody, 
somehow,  somewhere,  intended  to  affirm  that  Nietzsche  was  influenced 
through  the  parting  of  Wagner.  The  intelligence  of  the  double  fight 
against  the  inveterated  evil,  which  we  under  no  consideration  can  extir- 
pate, at  least  we  are  able  to  turn  in  a  certain  direction,  so  as  to  distract : 
all  these  must  end  in  desperation  for  a  sincere  investigator.  But  on  the 
other  hand,  daily  life  knocks  upon  the  door  every  morning.  Therefore 
Nietzsche  acknowledged  the  primativeness  of  thoughts,  which  always 
lead  to  a  nonessential  tragedy,  from  which  the  poets  of  tragedy  nursed 
their  work  and  fame.  Here  is  a  free  acknowledgment:  Art  was  forcible 
compelled  to  glorify  senselessness!     This  fact  gave  the  foundation  for 

as 


narcotic  drunkeness,  which  deliberately  bred  our  visible  state  of  distress. 
The  priests  took  this  well  nourished  movement  with  their  too  much 
announced  love,  and  blessed  pompously  the  perished  people,  so  as  to 
nurse  better  their  teleological  system!  In  order  to  avoid  the  created 
evil,  Nietzsche  warned  the  free  spirits  before  the  new  certainly  coming 
tragedy,  and  instead  recommended:  the  scientific  investigation  as  a  can- 
did necessity! 

Nothing  is  new  under  our  sun,  said  once  upon  a  time  Ben  Akiba. 
Just  so  old  is  the  fight  against  tragedy.  On  this  unexepected  occasion, 
we  wish  to  look  hastily  for  a  moment  into  the  culture  of  the  old  Grecians. 
The  old  Grecian  (if  I  may  speak  that  way?)  cynic,  Diogenes,  worked 
all  his  life  against  tragedy :  to  our  sorrow,  he  was  made  a  laughing  stock 
from  the  authorities  of  that  system !  of  form !  He  had  to  pay  dearly 
for  it!  Epictetus,  once  a  slave,  and  later  a  philosopher,  performed  the 
same  action,  but  to  our  enjoyment,  the  gentlemen  of  the  form  system 
never  could  play  with  him  as  with  Diogenes  1  Nevertheless,  he  was  made 
a  banished  outcast,  and  died  in  Exile.  Every  folowing  century  brought 
forth  all  over  our  globe  such  brave  men,  even  then,  when  we  have  no 
historical  proof  of  it !  Such  an  obvious  fact  has  its  well  founded  cause. 
There  existed  in  Christian  development  for  eleven  centuries  a  bloody 
and  destructive  war  as  means  for  the  destiniction  of  all  amateur  philoso- 
phy! High  above  the  frightful  and  long  times,  remained  for  us,  the 
acknowledgers  of  philosophy,  a  beautifully  shining  star:  EPICTETUS! 
To  this  historical  proof,  we  know  only  too  well,  that  there  in  history 
shone  many  beautiful  stars  of  noble  character,  but  they  were  individually 
and  forcefully  blotted  out.  To  all  this  historical  atrocity,  there  came 
ever  repeatedly  individual  fighters  on  the  battle  ground  for  freedom, 
who  died  individually  for  the  cause.  One  century  followed  another, 
but  the  unnumbered  individual  victims  became  a  big  bulk!  Each  one 
was  a  pioneer  in  the  battle  of  freedom.  In  this  way  came  the  row  on 
Nietzsche.  Hastily  he  acknowledged  the  continued  evil  of  the  corrupt 
system,  and  accordingly  noticed  in  it  a  double  fight!  Even  when  we 
take  Nietzsche  as  an  honest  reverencer  of  the  old  Grecian  culture,  we 
can  clearly  see  that  the  bitter  fight  against  the  senseless  tragedy  did 
not  start  there  for  him; — therefore,  we  must  look  somewhere  else  for 
the  cause.  The  *' Romantic  School"  of  the  18th  and  19th  centuries  d^d 
not  dare  to  point  its  finger  against  the  primitive  evil.  Accordingly  this 
fact  was  true  that,  the  individual  had  to  go  alone  upon  the  battle-ground, 
and  this  time  we  find  Schopenhauer  there.  The  '* Romantic  School'* 
lulled  itself  into  a  deep  sleep,  slowly  forgetting  its  purpose,  and  there- 
fore blunderingly  praised  the  art  of  its  present  system!  Schopenhauer 
did  not  like  this  flattery,  and  therefore  dared  to  offend  publicly  the 
priests  and  their  black  art!  Why  was  he  able  to  do  that?  Short 
measure!  My  dear  gentlemen  and  well-ordered  and  curious  ladies,  he 
simply  refused  to  accept  any  of  their  classified  professions !  Further  he 
resolved  to  be  idle,  and  herewith  to  be  a  philosopher!  Nevertheless,  it  is  a 
fact  that  he  was  hatched  out  from  the  teleological  representation, 
and  indeed,  his  life  remains  as  a  great  warning  for  the  coming  fighters 
of  freedom.     This  deliberately  delivered  warning's  medicine  impressed 

39 


the  followers  in  such  a  manner  that  their  awakening  came : — One  rushed 
into  the  enemy's  camp,  and  the  other  remained  hanging  onto  the  fight. 
This  one  was  Nietzsche!  He  knew,  that,  and  further  he  knew,  that  he 
had  to  give  further  this  acknowledged  warning !  In  between  he  observed 
carefully  the  question  of  existence,  and  saw,  how  the  men  of  a  well  sup- 
plied existence  declined  to  take  up  this  long  and  very  bitter  fight !  The 
well  known  motto,  ''After  me  the  deluge!"  exasperated  Nietzsche.  But 
on  the  other  hand  the  system  of  tyrany  pressed  on  him  wHh  full  force, 
from  which  came  to  him  a  well  understanding  that  the  bitter  fight  had 
to  begin  momentarily!  Then  he  turned  his  sincere  appeal  to  the  free 
hearts.  When  we  take  the  whole  matter  into  consideration,  we  see 
instantly  our  compelled  classification  of  individual  character  for  the 
fight,  and  herewith  simultaneously  comes  the  economical  field!  There  is 
no  room  for  doubt!  When  Nietzsche  dared  to  take  such  a  dangerous 
position  in  his  writing,  then  remains  for  us  to  investigate  his  social 
position !  Now  we  have  to  bring  our  operating  knives  to  the  front.  He 
knew  what  was  waiting  for  him.  At  the  same  time,  he  wanted 
a  complacent  rest  from  the  unbearable  tyranny,  because  the  eternal 
working  for  the  old  system  appeared  to  him  comical,  even  foolish! 
Through  such  a  social  mud  we  had  to  go  through  with  our  simple  occu- 
pation, and  the  cause  was  ever  the  same :  degradation  of  man !  but  never 
our  classification!  What  was  there  the  main  tactic?  Nothing  else,  but 
the  power  of  custom  under  the  leading  inspiration  of  the  priests !  There- 
fore Nietzsche  wished  to  avoid  the  fundamental  idea  of  solution,  so  as  to 
change  the  further  consequences.  Such  a  strong  idea  touched  his  health, 
and  he  longed  for  good  advice.  This  acknowledgment  showed  him  a 
new  tragedy, — or  should  we  say,  a  fatality  ? !  He  could  no  more  like  his 
well  supplied  position  as  professor  on  the  Basle  university,  because  he 
acknowledged  already  the  unavoidable  DEGRADATION  in  his  monot- 
onous work!  NOW,  he  had  to  take  courage!  The  motto  ''Health  or 
Death"  ruled  his  life!  This  bitter  drop  we,  too,  had  to  taste,  and 
through  our  experiences  we  acknowledged  in  his  book  the  prophecy  of 
our  own  future !  The  whole  matter  of  such  a  calculation  became  still 
stronger  and  more  tragic,  because  we  saw  positively  the  indescribable 
lonesomeness  in  the  tremendous  world 's  fight  for  freedom ! 

It  is  true  that  Nietzsche  masked  his  thoughts  in  individual  aphorisms, 
but  they  follow  by  ranks  nicely  woven  and  concatenated.  The  term  was 
always  the  same.  From  such  a  well  ordered  prospect  of  double  fight, 
could  only  come  as  a  result  of  knowledge,  which  dictated  to  him:  "Sor- 
row is  Knowledge!"  Here  he  simply  and  personally  confessed,  and 
protested  against  the  brutal  power  of  the  "Homines  Religiosi,"  who 
constantly  wanted  to  be  the  watchman  and  witness  of  every  moment  of 
his  neighbor!  From  now  on  nothing  was  to  him  more  frightful,  and  even 
fatal,  that  the  teleological  power,  which  took  for  its  service  the  whimsical 
medium  of  cunningness,  so  as  to  sneak  into  the  privacy  of  any  individual ! 
Even  that  we  tasted  in  our  life  of  very  simple  social  occupation!  For 
this  purpose  he  recommended  as  medicine  the  glorious  frivolity  of  a 
Horaz  not  for  constant  steadiness,  but  anyhow  until  the  solar-eclipse  of 
our  soul  enter!     Matter  of  fact:  It  would  be  far  more  sensible  for  a 

40 


fighter  to  hold  on  the  well  founded  "matter  of  fact,"  than  to  run  back 
into  the  ''Bomantic  School/'  so  as.  to  fetch  there  the  triumphing  stand- 
ard of  Christianity !    Please,  read  on  page  113 : 

"For  according  to  the  present  condition  of  knowledge  it  is  absolutely  im- 
possible to  approach  it  without  hopelessly  soiling  our  intellectual  conscience  and 

giving  ourselves  away  to  ourselves  and  others." 

To  show  the  primitive  cause  of  sorrow,  he  dwelt  on  the  great 
likeness  of  the  teleological  system,  which  claimed  eternally  the  service 
of  truth,  and  Justice,  no  matter  which  religion  there  existed!  Therefore 
he  wrote: 

"  'sensus  allegoricus'  of  religions,  who  always  and  at  any  time  took  an  ener- 
getic advance  toward  Science." 

With  such  a  discrimination  he  separated  religion  from  science,  and 
even  the  old  philosophical  systems.  Herein  he  even  acknowledged  the 
eloquence  of  Schopenhauer,  in  which  eloquence  the  decaying  religions 
found  new  nourishment,  which  he  threw  overboard,  including  Schopen- 
hauer, and  then  said : 

"As  surely  as  from  Schopenhauer's  religious-moral  interpretation  of  men  and 
the  world  much  may  be  gained  for  the  understanding  of  the  Christian  and  other 
religions,  so  surely  also  is  he  mistaken  about  the  value  of  religion  for  knowledge." 

Nietzsche  was  a  peculiar  character  in  the  matter  of  investigation 
of  the  social  system,  and  here  he  pointed  his  finger  daringly  on  the  big 
mistake  of  Schopenhauer's  time,  namely,  that  the  whole  science  glori- 
fied the  movement  of  ''Romantic  School,"  and  accordingly  Schopen- 
hauer could  not  do  otherwise,  than  go  with  his  time.  Had  Schopenhauer 
lived,  Nietzsche  said,  forty  years  later,  when  science  placed  its  investi- 
gation on  a  well  grounded  fact,  then  Schopenhauer  could  hardly  talk 
about  ''sensus  allegoricus"  of  the  different  religions,  and  he  would  have 
most  certainly  decided  on  the  following  conclusion:  "No  religion,  direct 
or  indirect,  either  as  dogma  or  as  allegory,  has  ever  contained  a  truth." 

Every  sally  he  made  against  the  many  religions,  he  knew  how  to 
sustain,  each  one  with  a  new  blow,  and  again  meant,  that  all  religions 
knew  most  cunningly  how  to  place  their  dogmas  parallel  with  the 
progress  of  science,  so  as  to  claim  the  standard  of  a  new  philosophy,  which 
should  later  on  represent  religion.  Here  Nietzsche  thought  that  this 
cunning  trick  was  a  masterpiece  of  our  thelogians  of  olden  times,  where  a 
religion  doubted  its  own  salvation!  Therefore  he  meant,  a  man  can  lie 
only  once,  but  not  always!  At  last  the  whole  truth  has  to  come  to  the 
front,  because  through  the  intensive  fighting  grew-up  slowly  but  surely 
from  itself  the  grave  doubts  of  religion.  The  fact  sustained  the  point: 
Religion  and  science  never  could  harmonize!  Science  will  have  always 
its  new  facts  in  its  investigation,  which  will  nail-up  positively  the  primi- 
tive LIES!  Short  talk,  in  spite  of  all  the  cunning  combination  of  re- 
ligions for  their  standard  of  pretended  triumph,  Nietzsche  never  cared 
to  accept  the  belief  that  there  was  such  a  thing  as  a  superbeing,  and  he 
went  with  ease  ahead!  What  he  advised  to  the  free  spirits,  he  first  dia 
himself:    The  Hero  to  the  front! 

41 


That  was  indeed  an  extraordinary  hazard,  which  he  expected  once 
upon  a  time  from  Wagner,  but  to  our  sorrow  he  certainly  was  very  much 
disappointed  in  his  expectation !  We  might  imagine,  that  Nietzsche  was 
satisfied  with  his  extreme  attack  but  we  never  meditate  how  such  a 
resolute  man  as  Nietzsche  felt,  when  he  was  touched  with  doubt.  Then 
a  firmness  came  to  him  such  as  never  before  experienced  for  rummaging 
through  the  foundation  of  scientific  investigation,  so  as  to  be  able  to 
bring  forth  the  utmost  clearness  in  the  whole  proceeding.  Throughout 
his  industrious  work  he  suffered  terribly,  which  caused  mostly  the  disap- 
pointment in  the  progressive  man ;  but  now  he  even  took  new  courage, 
so  as  to  investigate  his  own  seemingly  incurable  sickness.  Upon  this 
foundation,  that  great  intellectuals  lead  humanity,  he  turned  his  method 
of  investigation  to  religious  culture,  and  eagerly  looked  for  the  primitive 
cause  of  it.  This  action  was  just  such  a  circumstantial  and  lost  investi- 
gation, and  indeed  a  fresh  risk. — The  man  lived  in  the  middle  of  nature, 
and  never  knew  a  point  of  the  laws  which  nature  hid  in  itself!  There- 
fore he  took  everything  that  was  here  as  a  fact,  which  had  to  come  or 
stay  away.  The  primitive  man  lacked  every  conception  about  the  funda- 
mental and  natural  law  of  causation!  Everything  was  to  him  a  magic 
ceremony, — ^which  fulfilled  its  own  perfection! 

This  peculiar  position  of  the  primitive  man,  Nietzsche  observed 
from  the  pedestal  of  science.  From  this  came  the  firm  decision,  that  in 
the  so-called  progress  of  modern  and  eventful  industrial  life  the  man 
received  tremendous  feeling  through  the  immense  rattling, — which 
changed  even  the  form  of  music !  Therefore,  the  modern  man  feels  quite 
differently  his  position  in  nature  than  the  primitive  man.  Any  sensible 
man  can  signify  this  obvious  fact.  An  honest  investigator  should  obsei*ve 
the  ** Rag-Time"  music  of  our  modern  brother,  the  American,  and  he  will 
quickly  come  to  the  conclusion,  why  Nietzsche  longed  at  that  time  for  a 
peaceful  rest!? 

The  one  unwelcome  point  came  through  the  next,  and  the  primitive 
man  had  to  comply  his  life  according  to  the  frightfulness  of  nature.  This 
tremendous  power  unveiled  to  him  an  infinite  and  full  empire  of  secrecy, 
which  became  so  endless,  that  he  imagined  it  as  superaatural ;  or  he 
thought  and  imagined  the  whole  natural  proceeding  as  God!  Through 
such  a  peculiar  intercalation  of  the  colossal  power  of  nature,  the  primi- 
tive man  thought  that  he  could  arrange  his  life  better,  and  he  practiced 
so  long  on  it,  that  therefrom  came  slowly  but  surely  a  dominant  cult, 
a  sure  result  of  his  meditation  of  this  point!  Through  this  incantation 
with  nature,  there  developed  different  and  many  ceremonies ; — no  doubt, 
therefrom  must  have  come  naturally  and  necessitiouslj'-  as  parallel  an 
earthly  power  of  domination,  which  employed  the  human  race  generally 
throughout  the  whole  year  with  cultus.  The  purpose  of  the  whole  pro- 
ceeding was,  to  order  certain  lawfulness  to  nature,  which  nature  never 
possessed!  Of  course,  the  religious  cultus  sustained  itself  upon  imagin- 
ation of  such  a  magic,  and  we  should  not  forget  between  man  and  men, — 
and  the  main  magician  is  even  older  than  the  present  black-clothed,  white- 
faced  gentleman: — ^the  priest! 

With  such  a  maskless  imagination  Nietzsche  observed  the  real  re- 

42 


ligious  life,  and  meant  that  this  cultus  was  a  primitive  art  of  sympathetic 
relation  between  man  and  men.  Therefrom  must  have  come  the  so- 
called  personal  prosperity  upon  account  of  collectivity,  and  uncondition- 
ally an  art  of  thankfulness  sprang  forth,  through  which  conclusion 
certain  contract  came  even  toward  enemies!  In  connection  with  this 
fact,  Nietzsche  brought  his  old  study  about  Grecians,  and  marked,  how 
the  Olympic  world  came  to  understanding  without  any  shame!  That 
was  even  a  noble  action,  he  meant,  which  we  can  find  in  Greek  religious 
cultus. — With  such  an  explanation,  and  in  connection  with  other  cases, 
he  meant  further, — that  a  modern  man  can  explain  a  cause,  as  for 
instance  a  religion,  or  even  any  politic  with  a  well  thought  language, 
even  when  this  language  is  the  most  corrupt  in  regard  reason!  There- 
from comes  to  us  a  very  good  evidence,  that  Nietzsche  tried  and  even 
succeeded  in  combating  Christianity  upon  the  foundation  of  old  Greek 
Cultus!  Nevertheless,  we  have  to  take  here  in  consideration,  that  he 
never  could  operate  so  sharply  against  Christianity,  if  there  had  not 
been  the  dominant  power  of  modern  science,  which  shone  high  above  all 
primitiveness  I  This  obviousness  shows  us,  that  an  institution  like  that  of 
teleology,  has  nothing  to  do  with  the  old  time  Grecians,  because  the 
whole  system  of  the  Olympic  Gods  was  well  supported  with  a  trickily 
molded  base  of  the  teleological  system, — which  he  sharply  criticized! 
The  autocratic  system  of  the  old  Grecians,  educated  and  nursed  the 
general  public  with  different  Gods,  for  which  action  the  rulers  needed 
the  dramatic  poets;  the  same  thing  over  again  Christianity  did  in  the 
past,  and  still  the  same  thing  is  being  done  over  again!  All  we  need 
is  to  observe  our  condition  and  we  will  be  convinced  without  cheating! 
This  point  of  our  tacit  reality  points  out  its  accusing  finger  even  at 
Nietzsche,  who  felt  a  special  elevation  on  academical  intellectuality,  and 
as  such  declined  to  be  classed  with  the  common  proletarians, — ^who  in- 
deed were  and  are  deprived  continually  of  their  entitled  daily  piece  of 
bread  on  account  of  that  phantom  hallucination,  against  which  Nietzsche 
protested  so  much!  Had  he  been  mistaken  as  to  his  road  in  such  a  way, 
then  he  would  have  had  to  correct  himself  in  his  next  steps.  With  such 
an  acknowledged  design,  he  even  overlooked  the  main  issue  in  his  pro- 
ceedings, namely,  those  free  spirits,  whom  he  called  for  eternal  battle 
with  herald's  bugle,  were  no  others  than  those,  who  were  outcasts  from 
society  on  account  of  their  rebelious  thoughts!  Although  he  glorified 
outcasts,  and  gypsies  in  his  dedication  to  Wagner,  he  now  refused  to  go 
the  same  road  they  had  to  go,  and  the  cause  of  it  was  he  lacked  power 
and  health,  and  even  the  inflexible  resolution!  Nothing  is  more  true 
than  his  masterly  indication  of  the  coming  fact,  that  these  outcasts  are 
those  heroes,  who  will  forsake  the  old  system  of  decadence,  and  they 
are  sure  to  come !  This  is  a  very  satisfactory  hint  for  us  well  experienced 
wanderers,  and  we  are  not  so  small  minded,  as  not  to  thank  him  for  his 
literary  daring!!!..  With  this  venerable  thankfulness  we  acquired  a  new 
acknowledgment,  with  which  we  went  ahead  cautiously!  Therefore  we 
deliberately  decline  to  rush  on  the  road  of  so-called  reformation!..  From 
now  on,  we  dare  to  look  squarely  at  the  proceeding  of  the  art, — the 
primitive  and  obligatory  savant  of  the  teleological  system.    Bjiowledge 

43 


and  not  belief  becomes  our  motto !  We  decline  no  less  to  see  the  Olympic 
Gods  as  the  present  Gods !  We  too  have  the  cause  at  hand  to  investigate 
only  that  which  we  can  see  and  feel!  When  there  is  no  further  discrim- 
ination between  gods  and  men,  then  we  too  decline  to  recognize  a  God! 
Nothing  in  our  life  will  be  able  to  change  our  acknowledgment,  not 
even  then  when  the  God  was  educated  in  the  best  school,  and  we  never 
saw  the  inside  of  a  school!  Here  we  lack  all  the  understanding  of  any 
Justice,  by  which  a  ten  or  eleven  year  old  child  is  forced  with  brutal 
means  through  our  social  production,  and  the  other  one  at  the  same 
time  is  carried  into  the  school  with  finest  gloves! 

It  might  be  true,  as  Nietzsche  somewhere  stipulated,  that  education 
is  the  least  point  in  development  of  character,  but  on  the  other  hand  we 
can  easily  observe,  that  no  author  ever  could  express  his  view-point 
without  it!  Therefore  we  do  not  care  to  acknowledge  the  terrible  fact, 
that  our  well  organized  society  put  one  child  upon  this,  and  the  other 
upon  another  road,  on  which  both  have  to  go,  so  as  to  serve  the  authority 
behind  the  curtains !  Who  would  dare  to  assert  here,  that  such  an  action 
does  not  produce  bad  blood  among  the  population? !  I  am  too  mild,  yes 
even  too  cold-blooded  to  doubt  this  very  fact !  But,  once  an  investigator 
has  discovered  the  social  injustice,  then  he  has  to  put  the  same  upon  the 
golden  scale!  Eveiy  individual  should  receive  his  rights,  or  there  will 
be  trouble!  Nietzsche  dared  to  judge  our  social  system  with  his  own 
incurable  sickness,  and  discovered  how  bad  and  corrupt  the  whole  sys- 
tem was  in  managing  the  production  and  classification  of  the  present  and 
coming  generations;  so  we  too  want  to  present  our  case,  that  we  too 
may  have  the  same  social  experience !  Therefore,  nothing  can  keep  us 
back  from  an  energetic  protest  against  the  frightfulness  of  our  social 
compulsion,  which  exploits  our  life,  health,  and  wellfare!  and  forces  us 
to  do  what  is  contrary  to  our  taste !  This  visionary  design  shall  be  from 
now  on  our  self-made  WILL!  Upon  this  tacit  point  we  do  not  care  to 
cheat  ourselves  and  therefore  take  a  firm  position  against  the  social 
duties  forced  upon  us,  and  everything  else  that  will  cross  our  road  as 
obstacles  against  human  development.  Should  individuals  be  informed 
and  completely  conscious  of  this  fact,  then  we  feel  ourselves  justified  in 
our  present  pui*pose!  Had  Nietzsche  a  written  protest  against  our  cor- 
rupt social  system,  then  we  want  to  replace  the  same  with  an  energetic 
deed!  We  can  hardly  see  the  fruit  ahead — but  we  are  mounted  upon  a 
strong  pedestal  from  which  no  missile  can  bring  us  down!  The  fact  re- 
mains, we  reflect  differently  today,  on  any  aspect  of  our  social  gather- 
ing than  we  used  to  do!  We  walk  around  more  cheerfully  because  we 
are  sure  of  our  knowledge! 

In  the  next  three  articles  Nietzsche  again  takes  the  part  of  the 
Grecians  against  Christianity;  where  he  wanted  it  understood  that  all 
the  ceremonies  which  Christians  show  forth  concern  a  man  who  was 
crucified  two  thousand  years  ago.  As  a  contrast  he  shows  us  the  Olym- 
pian Gods.  To  make  this  case  more  obvious,  to  signify  that  he  is  right  in 
his  indication,  I  would  like  to  put  a  question:  "Why  was  Promotheus, 
the  philosopher,  chained  alive  to  a  cliff?"    This  historical  fact  shows  me 

44 


that  the  Greek  Gods,  who  were  indeed  the  authorities  of  the  state,  did 
not  play  with  an  individual,  who  dared  to  take  a  '* French"  salue  from 
all  the  social  duty !  This  was  indeed  a  daring  step,  and  such  individuals 
knew  why  they  did  it !  They  knew  only  too  well  that  the  time  was  short 
for  them,  for  to  rob  the  sunlight,  and  bring  it  between  the  population! 
This  fact  existed  throughout  their  whole  history  and  brought  always  a 
certain  prospect  of  death,  banishment  or  imprisonment  to  the  individuals 
who  dared  to  assert  the  opposite  to  the  moral,  which  the  teleological 
system  secretly  set  up  under  the  mark  of  a  religion!  Here,  we  should 
not  be  too  lazy  to  look  up  the  middle  age,  so  as  to  see  there  the  pitiful 
and  of  all  the  foremost  scientists!  No  one  of  these  men  ever  wanted  to 
become  a  martyr,  but  each  was  beheaded  for  his  daring  through  the 
dominant  power  of  the  teleological  system.  Nevertheless,  when  science 
gained  the  open  road  through  such  victims,  it  became  easy  even  for 
Nietzsche  to  write  more  freely!  But  please,  who  gave  him  such  a  pro- 
tection? The  fact  remains  that  the  people  who  thirsted  for  knowledge 
provided  that  protection;  but  they  were  not  all  free  spirits!  This  fact 
of  the  struggle  Avhich  science  put  up  for  a  free  road,  we  have  to  acknowl- 
edge, and  with  this  acknowledgment  to  stipulate  our  aim,  so  as  to  remain 
truthful  to  the  centuries'  old  and  bravely  fought-for  fruit,  which  we  want 
to  bring  to  a  riper  maturity.  Here  we  should  not  forget  that  that  there 
were  forever  too  early  victims!  With  this  free  confession  we  want  to 
recognize  our  own  social  condition,  nevertheless  we  want  to  remain  firmly 
on  our  undertaken  aim.  If  we  recognize  this  fact,  then  it  musts  become 
clear  to  us  that  we  will  advance  and  that  we  will  reach  our  aim!  even 
when  we  know :  that  a  terrible  struggle  is  before  us !  This  became  true 
even  for  Nietzsche,  and  we  can  see,  on  page  126,  how  he  calls  out  with  a 
herald 's  voice : 

"Christianity  arose  for  the  purpose  of  lightening  the  heart;  but  now  it  must 
first  make  the  heart  heavy  in  order  afterwards  to  lighten  it.  Consequently  it  will 
perish." 

We  do  not  doubt  this  wonderful  prediction,  even  now  when  we  know 
how  far  away  the  reaching  point  is;  nevertheless  and  in  between 
time  we  claim,  that  Nietzsche  relinquished  too  soon  from  his  fundamental 
investigation  about  the  primitive  cause  of  religious  life  throughout  the 
teleological  system,  and  plunged  with  his  whole  life  power  upon  the 
present  system  of  Christianity !  That  will  not  change  my  view-point  when 
we  both  find  ourselves  upon  the  big  battle-field,  where  eternally  comes 
some  terrible  contradiction.  We  know  very  well  how  he  meant  his  point, 
and  therefore  we  want  to  keep  ourselves  on  the  well-praised  present.  We 
are  thankful  for  the  information  about  the  gray  antiquity!  However, 
we  do  not  care  to  call  it  back,  not  even  in  our  sleep !  With  this  indica- 
tion we  wish  to  keep  ourselves  strictly  in  the  present,  and  never  wonder 
too  much  about  a  book,  because  each  book  decides  its  own  time,  and 
with  it  goes  its  accounting.  When  Nietzsche  illuminated  us  with  a  mar- 
velous aphorism,  then  we  should  take  it  as  granted,  and  therefore 
be  warned  by  all  the  unnecessary  chatterings!  At  the  same  time  this 
warning  helps  us  to  gain  a  complete  firmness  in  our  daily  life, — ^namely 

45 


to  work  industriously  further  along  such  scientific  investigation.  Nietz- 
sche did  the  same  deed,  and  therefore  we  want  to  honor  him.  He  never 
forgot  the  real  foundation  of  the  detailed  investigation  for  such  a 
deed!  With  such  a  carefully  molded  determination  lie  rushed  into  the 
infinite  chaos,  where  he  lighted  up  a  dazzled  light,  as  glorification  for 
psychology,  which  value  we  never  can  underestimats  in  the  purpose  of 
this  investigation. 

In  conclusion,  he  explained  the  individual  mentality  in  different 
directions,  which  are  known  to  the  scientists, — even  in  the  highest  de- 
gree! In  this  direction  he  talked  on  Homer,  remaining  by  the  Olympic 
Gods,  and  nursing  there  his  old  ^^hobby-horsical"  aim!  Then  he  said 
joyfully,  that  Homer  run  around  the  rule  of  the  Olympic  Gods, — as 
when  he  would  be  a  very  religious  man.  The  cause  of  it  is  plain  that 
Homer  was  forced  from  his  well  sheltered  superstition  to  play  with  the 
Gods  as  a  sculptor  plays  -with  his  stone.  From  this  fact  he  does  not 
care  to  exclude  Aeschyles,  Aristophanes,  Shakespeare,  Goethe,  and  I 
want  to  add  to  it  H.  Heine.  To  mark  this  point  psychologically,  we  too 
feel  the  same  goodness  in  us  and  we  want  to  handle  the  words  just  as 
well  as  the  Gods  themselves!  Nevertheless,  there  remains  only  one  point : 
— whether  I  dare  or  not!  The  individual  has  to  decide  the  proceeding! 
Did  I  nurse  and  indeed  reached  the  frivolity  of  a  Horaze  with  my  scien- 
tific investigation,  then  I  can  claim,  that  I  caiTy  the  deed  of  my  aim 
with  perfect  lust!  Should  I  lack  courage  for  it,  then  I  have  to  wrap 
myself  in  a  cover  of  religiousness,  to  keep  quiet  and  wait  for  my  time  I 
This  acting  results  from  the  sincere  warning  of  Nietzsche,  which  I  took 
as  a  dear  law  for  my  personal  and  present  protection!  On  this  point 
I  will  rest  easy  on  ''the  field  of  patience!" 

Nietzsche  knew  only  too  well  that  he  was  incurable;  if  that  indeed 
was  the  real  case,  then  I  want  to  investigate  this  written  hint.  In  the 
first  moment  of  my  meditation,  I  remark:  We  live  sorrowfully  in  an 
undescriptive  and  ardent  desire  for  salvation!  This  fact  certainly  be- 
longs to  the  religious  feeling!  Nietzsche  wanted  the  case  of  the  religion 
to  be  understood  in  this  direction!  Therefore  he  produced  a  very  long 
article  in  which  he  lead  psychology  strongly  to  the  front  without  any 
support  of  methology!  That  is  delightful  for  us,  because  we  see  the 
infinite  complication  of  our  present  as  it  is  in  all  its  tacit  realities !  That 
was  Nietzsche's  daring  against  religion  which  we  never  care  to  under- 
estimate! With  this  remarkable  point  he  unveiled  the  primitiveness  of 
all  awaiting  Salvationists,  who  felt  restless  and  discouraged  in  their 
social  duty!  Here  we  confess,  that  these  ardent  and  desirable  struggle 
for  salvation  were  and  still  are  a  pitiful  act  of  the  utmost  desperatism 
imaginable!  Another  confession:  It  is  not  possible  for  us  to  meet  this 
kind  of  people  with  the  same  feeling  as  when  we  meet  with  our  equals! 
We  can  not  dodge  from  this,  hence  our  meeting  with  such  people  natur- 
ally becomes  a  horror ! 

This  extreme  explanation  Nietzsche  set  momentarily  aside,  because 
of  its  unclear  mental  action;  and  then  he  came  swiftly  back,  so^s  to  talk 
on  the  ascetic, — for  whose  moral  foundation  many  great  thinkers  medi- 
tated uselessly !    That  for  Nietzsche  was  not  marvelous,  because  science 


did  not  have  time  for  a  final  statement  in  this  case  of  a  hermit  and  his 
moral  standard!  Proof  of  it:  The  cunning  hermit,  with  his  meek  and 
holy  face,  wanted  a  dominion!  And  because  he  could  not  find  it  on  this 
earth,  he  darkens  the  atmosphere  above  his  head.  We  can  read  on 
page  140: 

"This  crushing  of  one's  self,  this  scorn  of  one's  own  nature,  this  spernere  se 
speirni,  of  which  religion  has  made  so  much,  is  really  a  very  high  degree  of 
vanity." 

This  urgency  (so  to  speak!)  was  made,  by  the  different  religions, 
a  high  point  to  their  own  advantage:  on  which  moral  foundation  the 
religions  hung  strongly  and  nursed  their  pui*pose.  This  step  of  profitable 
prejudice,  the  cunning  hermit  quickly  noticed,  and  took  for  his  own  use ; 
but  at  the  same  moment  an  ardent  desire  existed  in  him  for  an  easy  life! 
Now  comes  the  most  remarkable  point  of  psychology : — Because  this  her- 
mit could  not  work  for  his  own  wellfare  and  freedom,  he  had  to  decide 
to  serve  the  will  of  a  stranger,  whoever  he  might  be,  so  long  as  his  call 
was  represented  in  that  individual!  Then  he  worked  industriously  on 
an  extensive  law,  or  better  to  say  on  a  standard  rite  equal  to  the  well- 
known  Brahma's  rule,  which  odered  throug-h  its  sacred  ordinance  the 
medicine  for  every  minute !  Such  a  forceful  subjugation  Niezsche  meant 
was  the  most  mighty  means  for  the  ruling  of  his  own  self !  Namely,  such 
a  '' vision"  created  occupation,  and  killed  lonesomeness  without  any 
force  to  his  own  mentality, — but  beneath  this  ** vision"  stood  the  most 
characteristic  view-point  of  impertinence;  the  hermit  felt  responsibility 
to  no  man  after  his  finished  deed!  With  such  a  conscience  disappeared 
every  self  torture,  and  still  more  repentance  never  showed  up !  This  con- 
clusion sprang  from  the  fundamental  thoughts  of  the  ascetic,  who  be- 
came quickly  the  leader  and  spurner  of  all  the  religions! 

To  investigate  psychologically  this,  indeed  veracious  conspicuousness, 
which  worked  through  the  ascetic  example  so  strongly  upon  the  men- 
tality of  the  subordinated  people, — that  we  must  see  as  a  result  an  endless 
and  desperate  fight !  The  fact  remains :  Through  such  a  well  established 
and  pompous  example  everybody  declined  to  use  his  own  will,  and 
served  the  teleological  institution!  This  characteristic  remark  could  not 
be  better  expressed  than  in  Nietzsche's  following  words  on  page  142: 

"When  we  remember  the  present  relation  of  man  to  the  State,  we  find  that, 
even  here,  unconditional  obedience  is  more  convenient  than  conditional.  The 
saint,  therefore,  makes  his  life  easier  by  absolute  renunciation  of  his  personality, 
and  we  are  n-istaken  if  in  that  phenomenon  we  admire  the  loftiest  heroism  of 
morality.  In  any  case  it  is  more  diflacult  to  carry  one's  personality  through 
without  vacilation  and  unclearness  than  to  liberate  one's  self  from  it  in  the  above- 
mentioned  manner;  moreover,  it  requires  far  more  spirit  and  consideration." 

This  minutely  investigated  meditation  brings  us  back  to  ourselves, 
and  shows  us  what  kind  of  a  position  w^e  must  take  as  individuals  against 
the  big  thousand  years'  monster  system  of  teleology!  This  "\ivilling  sub- 
mission to  the  State  where  nobody  accepts  his  obligation  toward  his 
neighbor,  Nietzsche  mentioned  here  for  the  first  itme.  Indeed,  that  does 
not  belong  as  a  conclusion  to  the  Olympic  Gods!  And  if  I  may  connect 
it  with  this  foundation,  we  can  make  for  ourselves  a  most  gorgeous 
picture  of  the  whole  system.    Here  we  can  not  wonder :   When  we  forget 

47 


to  glorify  the  State's  greatness!  Armed  with  such  a  momentarily  ap- 
proaching fact  should  we  be  astonished,  or  at  least  frightened  when  we 
are  made  the  early  victims  of  our  neighbors !  But  in  s'pite  of  these  truth- 
ful facts,  we  may  not  allow  in  us  a  feeling,  as  will  compell  us  to  confes- 
sion of  the  guilty  one !  Therefore  no  repentance  may  worry  us !  In  con- 
nection we  may  put  to  ourselves  many  questions,  but,  at  last,  we  must 
answer  them  personally!  In  this  manner  we  attain  a  most  remarkable 
result :  Our  life  is  strictly  a  personal  matter !  Therefore  we  always  have 
some  weights  in  our  hands,  which  we  can  throw  in  the  golden  scale, 
when  we  want  to  equalize  our  position  to  Nietzsche's  Herald's  Challenge 
for  the  eternal  fight  against  the  teleological  system,  and  its  most  faithful 
servant:  the  State!  Through  this  daring  resolution,  we  come  back  to 
the  Gypsy-road.  Woe  to  us  then,  if  we  lack  the  brave  armament  of 
psychology!  Relative  to  this  unexpected  point,  Nietzsche  wrote  on 
pages  142-143 : 

"After  having  found  In  many  of  the  less  easily  explicable  actions  manifesta- 
tions of  that  pleasure  in  emotions  per  se,  I  should  like  to  recognise  also  in  self- 
contempt,  which  is  one  of  the  signs  of  holiness,  and  likewise  in  the  deeds  of  self- 
torture  (through  hunger  and  scourging,  mutilation  of  limbs,  feigning  of  madness) 
a  means  by  which  whole  natures  fight  against  the  general  weariness  of  their  life- 
will  (their  nerves) ;  they  employ  the  most  painful  irritants  and  cruelties  in  order 
to  emerge  for  a  time,  at  all  events,  from  that  dullness  and  boredom  into  which 
they  so  frequently  sink  through  their  great  mental  indolence  and  that  submission 
to  a  strange  will  already  described." 

The  most  beautiful  point  in  the  whole  of  his  magnificent  explana- 
tion is,  that  he  knew  how  to  illuminate  with  a  small  ray  the  willing  sub- 
mission of  the  people,  and  their  followers  in  their  present  outrageous_ac- 
tions.  They  have  no  other  choice  than  to  justify  their  own  lives;  they 
have  to  give  to  themselves  an  explanation  of  their  actions  before  they  be- 
gin! Such  a  hair-splitting  makes  life  intolerable,  and  an  ardent  desire 
calls  for  victory  or  even  for  surrender !  With  the  first  point,  the  willing 
submissive  people  go  around  proudlj^  and  with  the  second  point  they  look 
for  a  righteous  vengeance !  That  is  very  clear  for  us,  and  therefore  we 
need  no  further  explanation  for  our  decision  in  the  whole  proceeding! 
Nevertheless,  we  want  to  stipulate  a  point:  A  man  who  has  his  own 
well  nursed  WILL,  will  always  think  the  matter  over  before  he  consents 
to  submit  to  the  State!  There  are  so  many  tricks  which  can  keep  ua 
away  from  impertinence!  Only  from  such  a  conclusion  can  come  to  us 
an  awakening  for  personal  progress!  But  we  should  not  worry  when 
we  discover  here,  that  we  face  at  this  moment  the  life  of  the  Gypsy !  In 
opposition  to  this  fact  of  our  own  life's  condition,  the  matter  of  an 
ascetic  stands  diffemtly.  With  his  willing  submission  he  has  discovered 
a  terrible  enemy  in  himself,  whom  he  must  fight  involuntarily!  This  ex- 
traordinary action  would  not  be  so  terrible  if  the  ascetic  would  keep  it 
in  his  hermitage ;  but  he  wishes  to  bring  the  case  of  his  abstemious  life 
before  the  public,  so  as  to  catch  their  admiration,  and  with  this  admira- 
tion he  hopes  to  get  a  new  charm  for  his  own  life !  There  is  no  mistake 
in  such  an  action  of  our  pitiful  ascetic,  because  the  great  problem  of 
life  only  becomes  interesting  when  he  can  throw  his  anger  abruptly  upon 
the  useless  sensuality!  Here  we  must  carefully  meditate:  How  far  can 
such  a  proceeding  go  in  our  well  organized  society! 

48 


Here  Nietzsche  brought  sensuality  to  the  front  for  the  first  time  and 
only  because  he  pointed  at  the  value  of  regular  sexual  intercourse  which 
coresponds  with  propagation  of  the  specie.  Further  he  said,  that  absem- 
iousness  calls  for  admiration  from  the  exhausted  and  \Tilgar,  and  that 
such  a  declamation  accuses  the  true  sensualist  of  heresy  and  even  damns 
them !  Under  such  declaimed  influence  throughout  the  centuries  children 
came  to  us  who  brought  the  awful  mark  of  a  bad  conscience  as  an  in- 
heritance. There  is  no  true  moral  uplift  as  a  cure  for  such  damage, 
Nitzsche  meant,  that  if  Christianity  and  the  other  religions  ever  wanted 
to  sustain  truth,  then  they  had  to  drive  away  unconditionally  such  a 
nonessential  idea  from  our  social  life !  It  remains  true,  that  this  view  of 
inherited  bad  conscience  poisoned  the  public  opinion  when  it  claimed 
tliat  every  child  is  bom  with  a  sin!  Yes,  indeed,  a  glorified  man  of 
Christianity  went  even  so  far  as  to  say:  **The  greatest  sin  of  man  is 
that  he  was  ever  born!"  (144). 

Completing  the  division  on  religious  Hfe,  Nietzsche  brought  the  most 
important  significance  of  the  Spirit  as  the  opposite  of  the  vulgar, — which 
has  indeed  a  historical  value !  The  Saint  pushed  his  idea  of  domination 
vigorously  against  all  risks  to  the  highest  step,  and  reached  it.  The 
careful  definition  of  the  immense  Infinity  otherwise  well  known  as  all- 
mighty  God,  the  Saint  incorporated  so  strong  that  he  appeared  together 
with  Christianity  high  up,  there  to  wait  on  the  last  day,  when  the  judg- 
ment will  come  to  both  I  Here  Nietzsche  became  aghast,  and  wondered 
that  there  were  still  many  thinkers,  who  believed  on  a  Saint  in  a  period, 
where  seldom  a  person  believed  on  God! 


VIII. 

The  fourth  division  "Concerning  the  Soul  of  Artists  and  Authors'* 
had  to  come  as  a  kind  ''crown"  to  the  other  three  divisions  as  an  illumina- 
tion— just  because  the  artists  and  authors  surely  belonged  to  the  teleolog- 
ical  system.  In  between  we  will  not  become  terrified,  when  we  find  Methol- 
ogy,  some  old  Gods — artists,  and  momentarily  plunge  into  the  lauded  pres- 
ent, where  we  can  see  the  drag-chains  of  our  artists!  For  this  purpose 
Nietzsche  had  his  cause,  he  indicated  his  meaning  clearly!  To  put  a 
perfect  characterization  on  his  hidden  thoughts,  he  turned  the  most  tick- 
lish sarcasm  upon  the  artists  who  imagined  great  things  for  their  ap- 
pearance in  public  opinion.  Nobody  ever  asked:  ''What  can  come  from 
such  vain  coquetry?"  But  Nietzsche  said  everything  about  it  on  page 
154: 

"It  Is  the  business  of  the  science  of  art  to  contradict  this  illusion  most 
decidedly,  and  to  show  up  the  mistake  and  pampering  of  the  intellect,  by  means 
of  which  it  falls  into  the  artist's  trap." 

In  order  to  strengthen  his  point,  he  showed  us,  how  the  artists  are 
less  inclined  toward  truth  than  the  thinkers :  and  furthermore,  the  artists 
even  resist  the  pensive  interpretation  of  life;  they  do  not  care  to  see 
the  cold-blooded  result  of  scientific  investigation,  because  that  circum- 
stantially ruins  their  reputation.  Therefore  their  throng  becomes  stronger 
for  the  simply  selected  work,  and  thus  they  avoid  the  scientific  and  gran- 

49 


ular  investigation.  Bat  Nietzsche  was  not  yet  satisfied  with  his  sar- 
castic remark;  he  worked  still  more  industriously  on  his  undertaking, 
which  he  wanted  to  bring  to  perfection;  then  he  pointed  out  abniptly 
that  the  artists  are  indeed  only  very  curious  shadows  of  the  plastered 
sepulchres!  The  farther  he  went  with  his  explanation,  the  more  per- 
sonal he  became,  also  more  competent  in  his  fundamental  utterance. 

In  the  next  article  he  put  the  poet  on  the  same  pedestal  with  the 
Saint,  because  both  have  an  inclination  for  the  creation  of  an  easy  life! 
A  poet  is  a  man,  who  through  the  pressure  of  his  purpose  has  to  up- 
root antidulivian  history,  and  take  from  it  what  he  most  needs  to  fulfill 
his  expectation  of  an  easy  life,  and  decorate  them  with  the  colors  of  the 
present  so  as  to  hide  the  old  dust  from  the  thoughtful  present !  Pruther- 
more,  the  poet  is  inclined  to  gather  together  the  most  wonderful 
decoration  of  the  old  religions  and  cultures,  and  mold  them  to  a  shining 
beauty  in  the  presnt.  For  this  work  Nietzsche  called  the  poets :  Epigones ! 
That  was  indeed  a  very  strong  dose  for  the  artists, — and  I  must  con- 
fess :  for  me,  the  real  butter  for  my  daily  bread.  Furthermore,  what  I 
read  on  page  155 : 

"There  are,  however,  certain  drawbacks  to  their  means  of  lightening  life, 
they  appease  and  heal  only  temporarily,  only  for  the  moment;  they  even  prevent 
men  from  labouring  towards  a  genuine  improvement  in  their  conditions,  inasmuch 
as  they  remove  and  apply  palliatives  to  precisely  that  passion  of  discontent  that 
induce  to  action,"    delighted  me  very  much. 

Nothing  that  we  read  surprises  us,  because  the  clearness  of  the 
deeply  investigated  intelligence  is  too  correct!  But  in  a  moment  he 
shows  us  again  a  new  hint :  When  the  artist  raised  his  standard,  then  the 
different  religions  stopped  swinging  their  banner!  Art  takes  over  in 
its  busy  hand  the  emotional  feeling  of  the  crowd,  and  holds  them  strong- 
ly with  an  iron  grip,  hiding  the  ghostlike  antiquity,  the  thick  cloud  of 
heavy  incense,  and  all  the  church-shadows  which  hang  behind  the  well 
ornamented  curtain;  but  a  well  informed  investigator  well  sees  other- 
wise. Here  Nietzsche  became  angry,  and  protested  vigorously  against 
the  soul  controlled  by  custom  which  never  wanted  to  allow  that  the  ugly 
man  has  place  in  the  art-work!  Art  always  brings  beauty  to  the  front 
because  that  is  the  custom !  Such  a  conclusion  brings  to  our  art  the  al- 
most forgotten  methaphysic  on  the  daylight.  That  makes  the  heart 
of  a  thinker  heavy  and  here  we  can  read  farther  on  this  point,  on  page 
158: 

"How  strong  metaphysical  need  is  and  how  difficult  nature  renders  our  de- 
parture from  it  TTSLy  be  seen  from  the  fact  that  even  in  the  free  spirit,  when  he 
has  cast  off  everything  metaphysical,  the  loftiest  effects  of  art  can  easily  pro- 
duce a  rsEOunding  of  the  long  silent,  even  broken,  metaphysical  string.  It  may 
be,  for  instance,  that  at  a  passage  in  Beethoven's  Ninth  Symphony  he  feels  him- 
self floating  above  the  earth  in  a  starry  dome  with  the  dreams  of  immortality  in 
his  heart;  all  the  stars  seem  to  shine  round  him,  and  the  earth  to  sink  farther 
and  farther  away.  If  he  becomes  conscious  of  this  state,  he  feels  a  deep  pain 
at  his  heart,  and  sighs  for  the  man  who  will  lead  back  to  him  his  lost  darling,  be 
it  called  religion  of  metaphysics.  In  such  moments  his  intellectual  character  is 
put  to  the  test." 

He  meant  that  we  still  have  many  free  spirits,  who  lose  their  heads 
entirely  in  such  an  occasional  moment.     Nobody  could  ever  bring  such 

60 


a  sarcastic  remark.  Out  of  such  a  tacit  reality;  where  the  intellectual 
character  is  put  on  brink  for  trial,  Nietzsche  jumped  back  into  antiquity, 
from  which  he  brought  the  inconsiderateness  of  Homer,  and  put  it  in  the 
present  light,  so  as  to  show,  how  necessary  it  would  be  for  us  today: 
to  do  the  same  thing !  He  showed  how  Homer  inconsiderately  tried  hard 
to  hush-up  the  unspeakable  sharpness  of  the  Greek  mentality!  Tt  might 
be  true  (and  who  dares  to  know,  what  Nietzsche  meant  occasionally?), 
that  he  intended  to  make  another  sarcastic  remark  upon  the  old  Grecians, 
who  bowed  unavoidably  with  great  loyalty  before  their  Gods — but  when 
we  bring  the  whole  construction  of  his  hidden  thoughts  before  our  pres- 
ent thoughtful  investigation,  we  quickly  discover  our  own  artists !  Again, 
it  might  be,  that  the  whole  indication  becomes  mysterious,  but  it  is 
clearly  seen  that  in  the  present  proceedings  of  the  teleological  system 
there  is  no  change  whatsoever.  Everything  is  here  as  it  ever  was  over 
there,  and  at  least  our  artists  dare  to  take  the  real  time,  so  as  to  talk 
on  the  fundamental  and  true  case  of  our  social  life!  Obviously  we  can 
see  in  Nietzsche's  thoughts  the  triumphant  recurrence  of  the  old  Grecians* 
cowardness, — coming  back  into  our  vaunted  present! 

In  the  next  article  Nietzsche  showed  how  our  art  had  always  cause 
to  watch  eagerly,  that  the  surprised  crowd  should  believe  on  the  well- 
ornamented  conceptions !  Farther  more,  with  this  forced  belief  the  crowd 
should  take  and  politely  accept  all  the  art's  performances  as  a  letter  of 
grace  from  the  Heaven,  and  still  more  as  a  true  earthly  wisdom!  Here 
comes  the  fact:  The  *' artful  genius"  is  only  that  artist,  who  can  make 
the  crowd  happy !  In  the  meantime  he  is  elevated  on  his  pedestal,  from 
whence  his  sound  tinkles  too  remotely,  and  so  the  artist  can  not  find 
the  right  kind  of  en  joiner  for  his  lawful  indication.  It  is  true  that 
tremedous  pathos  frequently  comes,  but  fundamentally,  he  has  no 
right  to  make  the  exhausted  crowd  happy.  There  is  no  doubt  here  must 
follow  the  parting  of  tragedy,  and  fatality  ransacks  humanity !  Here  even 
the  "artful  genius"  notices  how  he  is  deprived  of  the  right  to  mingle 
with  the  present.  This  knowledge  drives  him  to  desperation,  and  his 
eloquence  becomes  sharper  and  his  voice  harsher.  Such  an  expression 
calls  for  deep  sorrow  and  just  because  ambition  and  envy  are  too  strong. 
Here  Nietzsche  separated  drastically  the  customarily  glorified  char- 
acter from  the  genius  of  knowledge,  who  seeks  to  hide  all  the  world's 
pain,  and  with  it  to  feel  secure  for  the  future  construction  of  our  society. 
Furthermore,  this  genius  of  knowledge  knows  how  to  forget  the  present ; 
conversely  the  daring  artist  of  public  happiness  must  play  a  desperate 
play!    Oh!  If  only  this  truthful  hint  could  be  once  understood! 

Nietzsche  had  not  finished  his  critic  so  quickly  and  therefore  he 
went  ahead :  Once  the  daring  artist  has  made  his  pompous,  momentary, 
and  admirable  effect,  then  degeneration  must  follow  inevitably,  because 
the  vain,  onlooking  crowd  can  not  imitate,  and  therefore  the  artist  be- 
comes himself  vain,  which  vanity  makes  him.  see  lonesomeness  in  the  na- 
ture. The  happiest  moment  in  such  a  chaos  would  be  when  the  different 
geniuses  would  check  themselves  in  a  comer.  There  would  be  the  pos- 
sibility then  that  even  the  inferior  writer  might  appear  in  the  limelight. 
That  this  is  the  dangerous  point  is  acknowledged,  Nietzsche  showed  from 


it  how  the  art  becomes  very  dangerous  to  the  artist.  Once  the  artist  is 
caught  away  from  the  art,  he  shudders  terribly,  and  instantly  up-roots 
once  more  the  period,  where  the  art  blossomed  most  beautifully  in  the 
shadowy  antiquity !  This  means  nothing  more  than  to  work  backward, 
and  obligingly  do  service  to  the  teleological  system!  With  this  tactic 
acknowledging  of  the  momentary  appearance,  the  artist  is  compelled  to 
believe  on  the  old  Gods,  and  methological  Demons,  and  becomes  through 
his  negligence  degenerated  to  such  a  degree  that  he  at  last  hates  the 
science!  Such  a  terrible  effect,  Nietzsche  meant,  could  even  drive  a 
Homer  and  Aeschylus  to  an  incurable  melancholy,  and  to  die  of  grief ! 

This  well  worked  out  observ^ation  of  our  artists  easily  can  be  traced 
to  Nietzsche's  own  life,  wherein  he  investigated  the  teleological  system 
with  the  fundamental  part  of  the  art,  and  upon  the  drastic  fact  saw  the? 
system 's  future,  but  at  the  same  time  acknowledged  his  own  pitiful  end ! 
Very  much  had  been  set  already  on  paper  about  his  end.  His  excruciating 
pain  made  him  prophetic  enough,  so  as  to  show  up  the  result  of  the  deli- 
cate question  of  the  art !  Only  that  way,  he  could  look  through  the  men- 
tality of  the  artist !  The  true  psychology  comes  after  the  experience.  In 
spite  of  such  a  palpable  intelligence,  Nietzsche  could  not  give  up  his  cause, 
— he  freely  nursed  his  passion  for  strong  sensitiveness,  so  as  to  put  on 
paper  the  short  comings  of  the  art,  which  is  really  the  primitive  loyalty 
to  the  teleological  system,  as  a  warning  to  the  free  spirits.  Right  be- 
hind he  came  in  full  swing  against  the  dramatic  art,  and  said  that  this 
art  is  clumsy  and  worthless,  and  never  created  with  its  poesy  a  true 
TYPE!  Dramatic  art,  as  well  the  other  customary  ai*t,  expose  the  ex- 
ternal man  but  never  the  internal !  Therefore  he  meant,  he  never  would 
care,  as  a  scientist,  to  meddle  with  the  externality  of  a  man,  because  the 
earthly  life  depends  on  thoughts,  and  never  on  externality!  That  fact, 
he  meant,  had  driven  back  so  many  free  spirits  into  the  enemy's  camp! 
— because  no  one  cared  for  such  a  new  system :  where  the  entire  art  of 
custom  was  excluded.  From  this  we  can  see  clearly  that  Nietzsche  had 
thought  for  a  long  time  about  a  prolonged  wandering :  either  wandering 
for  mental  conclusion,  or  upon  the  country  road  like  an  aimless  and 
strolling  gypsy !  This  necessary  parting  for  the  cause  of  truth  brought 
him  the  most  bitter  gall !  Nevertheless,  there  were  only  a  few,  who 
read  his  sentences,  and  never  construed  thoughts  over  them !  In  opposi- 
tion to  this  psychological  fact,  he  could  not  hide  what  was  working  in 
the  other  man,  and  therefore  he  armed  himself  with  thoughts  for  the 
coming  battle.  Here  he  reminded  us  of  the  inconsi deration  of  a  ''human- 
all-too-human"  man,  who  noticed  in  himself  all  the  antique's  art-per- 
formances of  great  decadence,  and  put  them  thoughtfully  on  paper. 
That  was  Nietzsche  himself,  because  we  see  indicated  how  he  gave  way 
to  art  and  declined  to  make  the  crowd  merry!  With  this  deliberate  de- 
nunciation he  abandoned  the  name  of  artist,  and  daringly  protested 
against  the  existing  injustice  of  society.  This  was  at  that  time  an  incom- 
parable daring  and  who  knows  but  it  would  be  so  today  too !  Therefore 
we  need  not  wonder  in  astonishment  why  he  wrote  only  for  the  free 
spirits!  Furthermore,  we  should  not  deceive  ourselves  about  it,  because 
on  his  writing  still  depends  our  earthly  and  social  life !    The  experience 


taught  us  how  terrible  it  is  to  see  our  scanty  and  vegetated  existence, 
but  when  the  talk  comes  to  development  of  humanity,  then  our  daily 
life :  is  transformed  into  a  tragedy ! 

Nietzsche  was  abrupt,  sarcastic,  and  in  his  deliberate  sensitiveness 
he  reached  the  utmost  point  of  psj^chology,  with  which  knowledge  he 
had  at  hand  a  well  founded  acknowledgement,  and  with  this  he  became 
angry,  and  threw  back  at  the  artists  any  kind  of  belief!  Yes,  he  even 
went  further,  and  rejected  the  enormous  vanity  which  the  pompous  genius 
claimed  for  himself !  Briefly  speaking,  he  wanted  to  be  closely  chained, 
and  declined  to  accept  as  a  fact  that  a  genius  falls  from  Heaven  like  the 
rain !  Therefore  he  denied  every  so-called  talent,  and  even  the  well  known 
smartness.  From  this  we  should  learn,  that  a  master  must  be  nursed 
throughout  long  years.  He  recommended  that  the  firm  self-made  man 
remain  at  his  chosen  profession,  and  further  work  indutsriously  so  as 
to  command  by  such  a  practice  his  coming  thoughts!  To  this  resolute 
individual  this  determination  was  a  sacred  case,  regardless  what  his 
neighbors  would  think  or  speak  of  such  a  profession!  That  was  easily 
understood, — nevertheless  also  correctly  written,  and  with  it  Nietzsche 
nailed  the  prattling  tongue  of  custom  on  the  pillory !  Only  an  energetic 
man  can  progress  in  his  profession  of  gathering  thoughts,  and  thus 
discover  the  fundamental  cause  of  every  social  evil.  Such  tactic,  can 
make  of  us  firm  and  perfect  men ! 

There  is  no  chaos  in  Nietzsche's  book.  His  thoughts  and  explana- 
tions came  as  if  they  had  to  come  that  way !  In  the  meantime  he  grazed 
every  field,  which  could  give  any  nourishment  to  the  teleological  system  \ 
After  he  illuminated  the  customary  genius,  he  asked  himself,  **What  was 
the  danger  and  the  gain  in  the  cult  of  genius?"  and  he  answered  on 
page  168: 

"The  belief  in  great,  superior,  fertile  minds  is  not  necessarily,  but  still  very 
frequently,  connected  with  that  wholly  or  partly  reli,s?ions  superstition  that  those 
spirits  are  of  superhuman  origin  and  possess  certain  marvelous  faculties,  by 
means  of  which  they  obtained  their  knowledge  in  ways  quite  different  from  the 
rest  of  mankind.  They  are  credited  with  having  an  Immediate  insight  Into  the 
nature  of  the  world,  through  a  peep-hole  In  the  mantle  of  the  phenomenon  as  it 
were,  and  it  is  believed  that,  without  the  trouble  and  severity  of  science,  by 
virtue  of  this  marvelous  prophetic  sight,  they  could  impart  something  final  and 
decisive  about  mankind  and  the  world." 

And  again  on  the  page  170-171 : 

"In  a  few  rare  cases  this  form  of  insanity  may  also  have  been  the  means  by 
which  an  all-round  exuberant  nature  was  kept  within  bounds;  in  individual  life 
the  imaginings  of  frenzy  frequently  exert  the  virtue  of  remedies  which  are  poisons 
in  themselves;  but  in  every  'genius'  that  believes  in  his  own  divinity  the  poison 
shows  itself  at  last  in  the  same  proportion  as  the  'genius'  grows  old;  we  need 
but  recollect  the  example  of  Napoleon,  for  it  was  most  assuredly  through  his 
faith  in  himself  and  his  star,  and  through  his  scorn  of  mankind,  that  he  grew  to 
that  mighty  unity  which  distinguished  him  from  all  modern  men,  until  at  last, 
however,  this  faith  developed  into  an  almost  insane  fatalism,  robbed  him  of  his 
quickness  of  comprehension  and  penetration,  and  was  the  cause  of  his  down- 
fall." 

This  warning  is  clear,  and  I  think  a  firm  man  who  has  determined 
inclination  toward  fatality  can  make  this  peculiar  point  still  stronger! 
A  genius  never  flew  down  from  a  cloud,  but  was  slowly  nursed  through 

68 


a  -well-ordered  system,  or  even  through  obstacles  though  impressed  with 
the  belief  of  genius !  We  find  creditable  evidence,  that  there  is  a  strong 
dose  of  superstition  in  the  highest  intellectuals.  For  this  perfection  we 
can  look  with  easy  repose  at  a  momentarily  appearing  art.  Here  we 
should  not  be  so  foolish  as  to  overlook  an  artfully  composed  strategem 
of  policy,  but  still  stronger  we  should  look  obligingly  at  a  great  field- 
marshal  like  Ceasar,  Napoleon,  Bismark,  and  then  at  all  the  men  back 
of  such  heroes,  as  for  instance  Richard  Wagner  the  great  musician; 
then  at  all  the  great  intellectuals  who  compose  the  very  stable  machinery 
of  our  States!  When  we  study  these  men,  and  their  great  deeds,  and 
mentally  digest  their  accomplishments  we  should  consider  ourselves  as 
small  as  a  church-mouse: — very  small: — YES,  still  smaller: — until  we 
disappear  to  nothing!  This  very  cowardly  feeling  is  quickly  noticed  by 
the  State  Genius  and  he  rushes  into  the  modification  of  the  well-estab- 
lished Cult,  which  elevates  him  so  high  that  his  eloquence  and  longing 
for  truth  comes  to  a  collapsing  brink!  DOWN  WE  GO!  This  artfully 
composed  distance  was  always  up-held  'S'sdth  a  well-arranged  system! 
Whoever  has  eyes:  looks  at  it!  With  such  an  observation  we  can  easily 
discriminate  between  classic  antiquity  and  modern  Democracy,  which 
was  indeed  created  through  the  cunningness  of  Christianity!  Here  we 
have  to  include  the  general  public,  and  Nietzsche  did  it,  because  tragedy 
is  linked  to  the  proceeding  creation  and  can  not  be  divided.  That  is  the 
work  of  the  dramatic  art !  Through  a  well  organized  system  of  diplom- 
acy the  public  became  chained  to  the  WORK-A-DAY  WORLD  and  in 
this  manner  became  crushed  with  exhaustion!  Such  a  proceednig  creates 
a  terrible  suffering ;  but  to  lighten  this  burden,  the  dramatic  art  is  com- 
pelled to  bring  out  some  very  sensational  plays  which  will  drive  the  pub- 
lic to  crocodile  tears!  That  is  the  seed-corn,  from  which  the  public  can 
reap  their  fruit!  Therefore  we  have  glowing  evidence  that  the  proceed- 
ing of  a  spoiled  and  lying  system  can  not  go  on  forever  that  way !  Who 
could  sober  up  through  such  a  sentimental  opportunity,  or  recollec- 
tion and  then  designate  what  was  the  real  intention  of  such  a  corrupt 
system  toward  the  general  public,  who  had  thirsted  for  ages  for  the 
imagined  truth?  The  whole  case  is  not  so  very  ticklish,  nor  even  enig- 
matical, because  the  preparation  and  delivering  worked  slowly  behind  the 
curtain,  which  carefully  covered  the  primitive  cause  of  the  public  call 
for  relief  from  their  unbearable  burden!  When  even  the  immediate 
necessity  of  the  dramatic  art  made  the  general  public  deadly  pale,  and 
weeping-blessed,  so  we  can  see  that  some  other  feeling  developed!  The 
expected  damage  never  came,  and  the  general  public  even  became  witty, 
and  laughed  instead  of  weeping!  This  fact,  Nietzsche  called  the  most 
comical  point  in  the  whole  progress  of  dramatic  art! 

After  he  had  completely  finished  the  dramatic  art,  he  turned  de- 
lightfully his  attention  to  the  authors.  That  is  for  us  desperate  wand- 
erers living  in  faraway  countries  the  real  water  from  the  highest  moun- 
tains for  our  almost  idle  mill!  When  there  is  nothing  more  to  amuse 
us  in  our  stagnated  society,  then  we  seclude  ourselves  in  a  peaceful 
corner,  well  marked,  regardless  of  our  social  classification,  and  there,  in 
that  grave  seclusion  we  crack  the  nuts  of  life,  which  we  find  in  the 

64 


different  and  glorious  books!  We  do  not  care  to  cheat  ourselves  with 
the  articles  forced  upon  the  public  to  the  discouragement  of  our  modem 
commerce,  which  still  commemorates  the  big  Egyptian  Holy-Book,  as 
a  standard  against  all  the  other  books!  Oh!  my  dear  contemporary 
friends,  how  many  books  do  you  think  we  have  put  aside,  because  they 
have  no  nourishment  for  our  appetite?  We  often  laugh  very  sweetly, 
when  we  read  in  Nietzsche's  books,  how  a  thinker  unveils  his  thoughts 
too  much ;  how  a  poet  gives  too  much  of  his  thoughts  to  a  beautiful  rhyme 
and  just  because  they  can  not  find  the  right  step ;  they  declare  the  books 
which  can  not  be  translated  are  not  worth  reading!  Then  comes  the 
best  author  who  is  ashamed  to  be  one!  That  certainly  pacifies  us  still 
more  in  our  seclusion,  and  we  bear  the  daily  tragedy  with  easel  With 
such  self  enlightenment  we  discover  what  Nietzsche  originally  intended 
to  say!  He  touched  upon  the  social  system  of  our  vaunted  present,  and 
instantly  pointed  out,  how  most  authors  suffer  a  real  proleatarian  need! 
That  is  an  obvious  hint  from  his  own  life  ,and  you  can  read  his  con- 
fession on  page  189 : 

"The  thinker,  as  likewise  the  artist,  who  has  put  his  best  self  Into  his 

work,  feels  an  almost  malicious  joy  when  he  sees  how  mind  and  body  are  being 
slowly  damaged  and  destroyed  by  time,  as  if  from  a  dark  corner  he  was  spying 
a  thief  at  his  money-chest,  knowing  all  the  time  that  it  was  empty  and  his 
treasures  in  safety." 

From  such  a  marvelous  composition  regarding  the  lives  of  the  best 
authors,  we  gain  a  metaphysical  vision,  but  our  sensitiveness  grows 
stronger  when  we  see  in  his  writing  the  true  case  of  a  writer's  own  ex- 
perience.   How  lovely  it  is  to  read  on  page  190: 

"Should  pity  and  fear  really  be  unburdened  through  tragedy,  as  Aristotle 
would  have  it,  so  that  the  hearers  return  home  colder  and  quieter?  Should  ghost- 
stories  really  make  us  less  fearful  and  superstitious?" 

Once  more  he  came  back  upon  the  artists,  and  wrote  on  page  195: 

"By  virtue  of  extraordinary  intellectual  exercise  through  the  art-development 
of  the  new  music,  our  ears  have  been  growing  more  intellectual.  For  this  reason 
we  can  now  endure  a  much  greater  volume  of  sound,  much  more  'noise,'  because 
we  are  far  better  practised  in  listening  for  the  sense  in  it  than  were  our  an- 
cestors." 

At  last  he  embraced  with  unspeakable  enjoyment  other  points  of 
the  art,  and  finished  the  division  on  authors  in  this  way,  as  we  read 
on  pages  205-6: 

"Just  as  in  old  age  we  remember  our  youth  and  celebrate  festivals  of  memory, 
so  in  a  short  time  mankind  will  stand  towards  art:  its  relation  will  be  that  of  a 
touching  memory  of  the  joys  of  youth.  Never,  perhaps,  in  former  ages  was  art 
dealt  with  so  seriously  and  thoughtfully  as  now  when  it  appears  to  be  surrounded 
by  the  magic  influence  of  death.  We  call  to  mind  that  Greek  city  in  southern 
Italy,  which  once  a  year  still  celebrates  its  Greek  feasts,  amidst  tears  and  mourn- 
ing, that  foreign  barbarism  triumphs  ever  more  and  more  over  the  customs  its 
people  brought  with  them  into  the  land;  and  never  has  Hellenism  been  so  much 
appreciated,  nowhere  has  this  golden  nectar  been  drunk  with  so  great  delight, 
as  amongst  these  fast  disappearing  Hellens.  The  artist  will  soon  come  to  be  re- 
garded as  a  splendid  relic,  and  to  him,  as  to  a  wonderful  stranger  on  whose 
power  and  beauty  depended  the  happiness  of  former  ages,  there  will  be  paid  such 
honour  as  is  not  often  enjoyed  by  one  of  our  race.     The  best  In  us  Is  perhaps 

66 


Inherited  from  the  sentiments  of  former  times,  to  which  it  is  hardly  Dossible  for 
ns  now  to  return  by  direct  ways;  the  sun  has  already  disappeared,  but  the  heavens 
of  our  life  are  still  glowing  and  illumined  by  it,  although  we  can  behold  it  no 
longer." 

The  fifth  division  **The  Signs  of  Higher  and  Lower  Culture*' — had 
been  introduced  in  Herr  Johannes  Sehlaf's  book  on  page  143  as  follows: 

"Here  too  Nietzsche  becomes  in  some  way  straightforward,  even  intolerable. 
He  does  not  see  the  'Human- All-Too-Human,'  that  someone  of  his-equals  would 
kave  had  certainly,  however,  differently  perceived  and  in  a  nobler  conception  of 
needy  condition;  he  sees  only  the  plain  vulgar,  the  falsehood  of  the  man,  and  drops 
on  It,  as  when  it  would  be,  who  knows  what!" 

That  is  for  us  evident  and  conceivable,  although  intolerable  to  swal- 
low even  the  predigested.  It  is  a  writing,  which  can  hardly  be  trans- 
lated, and  therefore  we  want  to  prepare  our  appreciation,  exquisitively 
for  the  utmost  point,  so  that  we  can  meet  our  beloved  defenders  of  the 
teleological  system.  Just  because  we  investigated  so  bravely  the  last 
division,  and  never  for  a  moment  perturbed  our  mentality,  and  be- 
cause the  proceeding  from  the  last  division  flowed  into  this  division,  I 
avoided  deliberately  the  numeration  of  it,  and  instead  put  seven  stars  as 
aymbolic  meaning  of  life's  seven  principles.  In  putting  such  a  cabalistic 
symbol,  I  was  instantly  reminded  of  the  self-consti*ued  maxim,  that, 
when  a  man  plunges  into  a  rushing  tide,  he  might  as  well  flow  to  un- 
known regions,  regardless  of  his  destination!  Literary  points  should 
never  represent  anything  else  than  the  life  of  the  author!  So  do  I 
understand  Nietzsche,  and  so  I  want  to  believe ! 

Whatever  was  or  still  is,  constitutes  the  brutal  and  barbarous  cir- 
•umstances  in  our  social  organization  which  point  of  culture  was  called 
by  the  carrier  "so  and  so,"  and  besides,  all  the  lies  which  abnegated 
the  true  fact  of  human  living ;  forever  putting  the  undescriptive  stipula- 
tion of  righteousness  to  twist  the  truth;  everything  that  was  pressed 
from  horrible  fighting  to  reaction,  wherein  the  past,  as  well  as  the 
present  struggle  of  the  truthful  and  assiduous  Free-Spirit  can  be  ac- 
counted for;  then  the  thousand  years'  monster  of  the  teleological  sys- 
tem, will  be  swept  for  all  time  out  from  society;  and  everything  else, 
which  could  be  held  able  for  the  struggle  of  culture,  Nietzsche  bound 
together  in  a  bundle,  and  put  in  orderly  in  this  fifth  division.  As  we 
know,  he  was  very  free,  and  as  such  a  free  spirit  he  did  not  care  a  rap 
what  became  of  his  well  investigated  results,  so  long  as  he  nailed  down 
the  fundamental  fact  of  social  evil.  After  he  had  put  the  whole  sys- 
tem, from  the  beginning  of  our  historical  proof  throughout  the  cen- 
turies, under  his  sharp  knives  of  psychological  operation,  leaving  it  bleed- 
ing to  the  last  drop,  he  discovered  at  last  a  noble  character,  remaining 
from  decaying  system:  who  was  willing  to  do  things  differently,  and 
who  determinedly  wanted  a  higher  culture,  and  even  know  the  possi- 
bility of  it !  Until  this  time  he  has  talked  only  of  a  certain  system,  which 
always  resisted  with  the  most  dirty  means  a  higher  and  nobler  culture, 
in  order  to  sustain  itself,  and  remain  under  the  same  outrageous  rule! 
Coming  to  this  point,  obviously  he  saw  that  out  of  this  terribly  big  chaos 
of  undescriptive  decadence  were  flaming  some  individual  characters,  who 
would  fight  such  a  systematic  falsehood  bravely  to  their  last  drop  of 

66 


blood,  and  bring  it  to  a  collapsing  brink!  The  stronger  and  bitterer  tht 
struggle,  the  stronger  and  more  visible  the  degeneration,  the  more  bar- 
barous will  become  the  bloody  fight !  From  such  a  tremendous  fight  can 
not  come  the  old  pretended  peace,  and  we  saw,  and  see  it  today,  that  tht 
states-authorities  (and  not  the  so-called  capitalists!)  were  ever  on  the 
alert  to  receive  with  barbarous  vigilence  the  ever  repeated  riots  of  the 
different  groups :  all  over  the  world!  To  this  states-chaos  of  Ceasar's  an- 
tiquity to  put  a  stable,  and  firm  HALT,  that  only  would  be  the  starting 
point  of  evolution  to  a  higher  and  nobler  culture !  That  would  be  the  only 
real  application  to  free  ourselves  from  our  unheard-of  barbarous 
condition  1 

Provided,  some  intellectual  reads  this  conclusion  without  security 
on  his  own  life's  power,  he  will  throw  this  most  excellent  book  in  a 
dusty  corner,  from  where  he  never  will  pick  it  up!  We  do  not  care 
to  cheat  ourselves  in  this  and  therefore  we  shall  also  be  on  the  alert 
against  our  customary  antagonists!  Who  are  they?  YOU,  my  friends 
knew  them  better  than  my  pen  can  describe!  The  human  composition 
in  writing  and  oratory  did  not  start  yet,  save  Nietzsche!  Nevertheless, 
when  we  conceive  the  present  f rightfulness,  nothing  else  shonld  scare  us! 
Now  we  have  to  go  fearlessly  aside  and  there  in  our  chosen  seclusion 
think  more  on  this  very  serious  point!  No  matter  what  our  neighbors 
might  gossip  about  us,  we  should  remain  on  guard!  We  know  why  w« 
do  that !  We  know,  too,  what  kind  of  cultivated  memory  we  have,  and 
therefore  we  do  not  care  to  forget  all  those  noble  characters,  who  bled 
throughout  the  centuries,  and  who  are  still  marked  as  the  most  infamous 
TYPES  by  the  representation  of  the  teleological  system!  We  know  to 
whom  honor  belongs!  When  we  have  no  other  occasion  to  satisfy  out 
rightful  indemnification,  then  we  want  honor,  in  spite  of  all  chicannery; 
this  excellent  book  as  exchange !  llow^ever  the  censors  all  over  the  world 
arrested  the  free  thoughts  in  writing  and  oratory,  and  whenever  they 
could  to  force  them  back!  But  the  time  came,  as  we  see  in  Nietzsche ii 
book,  when  the  censors  can  cease  their  obliging  work !  There  is  nothing 
for  them  to  do!  Now  they  do  not  know,  what  to  mark  blue  in  a  pro- 
gressive writing,  and  far  less  they  know  whether  a  rooster  is  singing 
his  song  loyaly  or  not  on  his  back-yard  fence !  This  precautious  alarm 
or  well  selected  warning  which  Nietzsche  left  us  we  took  with  bowed 
head,  and  we  are  bound  to  give  it  further  attention.  How  shall  we  sail! 
Probably  free,  even  when  darkness  surrounds  us! 

With  such  alerted  attention,  we  stay,  and  listen!  Nietzsche  never 
cared,  what  kind  of  social  classification  a  free  spirit  had;  but  he  cared 
very  much,  how  a  free  spirit  composed  his  thoughts  about  the  many 
infamous  actions,  which  were  done  to  the  human  race  under  the  masked 
auspices  of  a  system  ordained  by  wealth.  Therefore  he  drew  a  sharp 
line  between  the  free  spirit  and  the  emotional  every-day,  loyal  vulgar 
one !  This  point  surely  belonged  to  psychology  recommended  as  an  un- 
avoidable condition  of  general  existing  facts!  For  a  short  change,  and 
to  remind  my  readers,  I  would  like  to  go  back  to  the  lady.  Miss  Mal- 
wilda  von  Meysenbug,  who  claimed  the  knowledge  of  psychology  for 
herself  about  the  revolutionary  movement  and  the  characters  of  it.    The 

S7 


noted  historical  individual,  who  firmly  resolved  to  go  forward  upon  the 
irreconcilable  road,  regardless  what  might  happen  to  him,  was  lured 
in  a  trap  of  unhoped-for  initiative,  where  he  was  forced  to  a  public  con- 
fession! Many  of  such  kind  became  weak,  and  confessed  their  sins,  but 
they  stood  before  their  accusers  with  stripped  honor!  The  whole  fact 
seems  a  trickily  composed  curiosity !  Giordano  Bruno  died  at  the  stake, — 
and  he  was  surely  a  fearless  character!  But  when  we  investigate  the 
whole  proceeding  of  his  intention  after  300  years,  we  find  he  was  con- 
cerning himself  about  a  repentant  petition,  which  he  wanted  to  put  be- 
fore the  Pope's  feet,  for  no  other  reason  than  to  receive  mercy  for  his 
personal  life !  But  his  energetic  advance  was  too  far  ahead  of  the  time, 
and  so  it  ended  in  the  teiTible  Auto-da-fe  of  the  Inquisition!  The  case 
of  our  memorable  Emanuel  Kant,  who  publicly  took  a  pompous  oath  for 
the  only  reason,  his  scanty  daily  existence,  is  well  known !  These  are  only 
individual  cases  of  the  history.  By  this  untimeous  opportunity  we  can 
look  over  the  48th  revolutionary  movement,  which  was  overwhelmed 
with  outrageous  assassinations,  and  at  last,  the  rest  who  slipped  the  firing 
Bquad  (including  the  above  mentioned  lady)  had  to  look  for  an  asylum. 
Garibaldi  became  a  ship's  captain,  Mazzini  a  very  good  friend  of  the 
king  of  Italy,  the  third  one  saved  himself  through  a  suicide, — and  the 
great  musician  Richard  Wagner  became  a  lover  of  princesses,  and  dared 
to  renounce  publicly  his  previous  deed  of  *48!  Here  we  have  a  long 
line  of  chosen  men,  who  traveled  the  road  of  free  spirit,  but  soon  landed 
in  the  enemy's  camp,  where  they  became  very  loyal  servants  of  our  (by 
now!)  well  known  teleological  system!  I  am  not  averse  to  any  of 
them,  because  I  know  the  bitter  fight,  especially:  when  a  free  spirit 
acquires  matrimony.  This  last  fact,  as  a  conclusion  of  the  previous  one, 
reflected  strongly  in  Nietzsche's  writing,  though  he  never  intended  to 
admit  it! 

Let  UB  proceed.  The  Herald's  call  becomes  stronger.  What  do  you 
think  my  friend:  Who  is  the  bound  man  of  daily  life?  He  has  only  one 
sacred,  hidden  duty  forced  upon  him,  which  consists  of  loyal  service  to 
the  system,  namely,  to  spy  upon  his  surroundings,  and  find  out  every- 
thing that  he  can  about  people's  sacredness  as  opposition  to  the  system: 
to  report  it  at  the  right  place!  In  this  way,  and  with  a  very  smiling 
face  are  trapped  the  men  of  different  ideas!  We  should  meditate  for  a 
moment  about  such  an  important  and  extensive  warning!  At  last,  how 
could  a  thoughtful  man  of  well  composed  mind  ever  think,  that  in  such 
a  case,  where  the  great  but  nevertheless  subterranean  act  of  espionage 
is  carried  on  from  all  against  all  could  exist  a  human  Harmony?  But 
only  now  comes  the  apex  of  an  extraordinarily  molded  warning:  Should 
the  free  spirit  be  so  careless,  that  he  could  not  realize  this  obvious  fact 
of  that  infamous  act  of  espionage,  then  it  might  happen  on  one  nicely 
shining  morning,  that  he  will  meet  his  bad  omen  under  which  he  will 
bleed  to  death!  Such  a  shameless  production  of  unnecessary  victims  has 
to  be  stopped,  Nietzsche  ordered!  Furthermore,  he  said,  when  the  daily 
spy  feels  that  he  can  not  become  the  ruler  of  a  free  spirit,  aud  can  not 
otherwise  injure  and  undern.inc  him,  then  the  spy  will  use  the  most 
ardent  eloquence,  and  utter  falsehoods  behind  the  free  spirit,  not  be- 

S8 


cause  the  spy  believes  that  which  he  utters :  but  only  for  one  reason :  to 
do  damage  to  the  free  spirit !  Therefore  Nietzsche  called  attention  to  the 
point  that  the  free  spirit  should  be  careful  in  his  daily  movements,  be- 
cause no  matter  how  he  fixes  his  affairs  there  will  always  be  some  points 
forgotten,  which  will  distinguish  him  from  other  people.  The  free  spirit 
even  moves  differently.  On  such  a  remarkable  road  comes  the  parting  of 
existence!  How  to  get  a  job?  That  remains  a  mystery!  As  this  my- 
stery can  not  be  solved,  there  must  come  an  unexpected  moment  for  the 
free  spirit,  where  he  is  bound  to  subjugate  himself  to  an  aimless  strolling 
upon  the  country  roads  of  foreign  lands, — as  much  a  vagabond  as  ever  a 
gypsy  was!  That  was  Nietzsche's  confession,  as  a  sure  answer  to  the 
formidable  system, — which  never  could  otherwise  maintain  its  boastful 
rule,  than  to  turn  its  subjects  one  against  the  other  I  For  this  statement : 
we  have  no  apology! 

In  this  we  do  not  care  to  cheat  ourselves.  Furthermore,  the  un- 
conditional view  remains:  That  the  academical  gentleman,  who  gained 
their  high  education  for  a  certain  profitable  purpose,  will  play  forever 
very  foolish  deeds  to  such  a  Herald's  call  as  Nietzsche  uttered!  There- 
with we  have  at  hand  a  very  frank  and  obvious  case,  over  which  we 
can  argue  freely,  and  truthfully.  Upon  the  well-created  foundation  of 
the  invisible,  and  ordained  act  of  espionage,  the  daily  spy  becomes  a 
Christian,  and  a  citizen — ^no  matter  in  which  corner  of  our  globe  he  is 
located !  Otherwise  to  mark  such  a  case, — it  is  only  a  matter  of  believing. 
Nevertheless,  that  becames  dangerous  for  a  free  spirit,  when  he  is  not  on 
the  alert!  Furthermore  it  remains  self-evident,  should  the  free  spirit 
notice  the  whole  proceeding  of  the  secret  tricks  of  the  psychology  of  his 
surroundings  then  he  will  have  an  easy  play,  but  until  he  reaches  this 
important  apex,  he  has  to  fight  so  many  bitter  battles !  Wonder  if  this 
explanatory  point  about  the  development  of  a  free  spirit  is  understood T 
And  there  fore  because  we  are  not  sure  of  the  whole  explanation  of  the 
case  we  should  arm  ourselves  with  the  sharpest  knives  of  psychology, 
and  mercilessly  cut  to  pieces  everything  which  crosses  our  road !  As  you 
act  toward  me,  so  I  will  repeat!  There  is  no  way  out  of  it:  we  have 
to  keep  constantly  the  power  of  resistance  for  our  service,  and  be  ready 
every  second  for  a  bitter  fight!  In  conclusion  to  this,  he  wrote  on 
pagers  211-212: 

"All  states  and  orders  of  society,  professions,  matrimony,  education,  law: 
all  these  find  strength  and  duration  only  in  the  faith  which  the  fettered  spirits 
repose  in  them — that  is,  in  the  absence  of  reasons,  or  at  least  in  the  averting  of 
inquiries  as  to  reasons.  The  restricted  spirits  do  not  willingly  acknowledge  this, 
and  feel  that  it  is  pudendum.  Christianity,  however,  which  was  very  simple  In 
its  intellectual  ideas,  remarked  nothing  but  faith,  and  passionately  repulsed  the 
demand  for  reasons;  it  pointed  to  the  success  of  faith:  'You  will  soon  find  the 
advantages  of  faith,'  it  suggested,  'and  through  faith  shall  ye  be  saved.' " 

This  primitiveness  of  our  neighbor's  mentality,  can  only  be  dis- 
covered when  we  are  well  armed  with  psychology,  and  watchful  in  all  of 
our  steps  of  the  old  and  effeminate  thoughts,  which  frequently  come 
from  within,  and  tempt  us  into  the  danger.  This  hint  contains  so  many 
tricky  ideas  for  a  thinker,  of  wjhich  a  common  revolutionary  never  has 
an  idea !    Nevertheless,  I  have  a  suggestion :     Should  this  hint  ever  be 

59 


understood, — then  I  am  sure  there  will  be  an  obvious  shaking  of  the  old 
dust  from  the  customary  boots !  This  view  can  not  be  denied,  and  there- 
fore it  remains  true  all  over  our  globe.  Only  now,  we  see  how  small 
in  reality  is  our  big  globe!  We  know,  that  in  the  long  course  of  our 
experience,  many  and  different  maliciousness  will  reach  us,  but  what 
should  all  these  indications  mean  to  us?  We  will  be  compelled  to  move 
on,  and  forward  through  the  orders  of  the  Higher-up  bars  of  iron !  How- 
ever we  should  not  forget,  that  through  such  a  bitter  struggle  we  will 
learn  to  honor  the  real  and  true  meaning  of  ** Hunger  is  the  best  cook!'* 
When  Nietzsche  pointed  out  in  the  next  article  as  a  case,  where  such  a 
man  dies  from  hunger,  then  we  know  the  meaning,  and  right  here,  we 
want  to  account  for  the  living  of  all  free  spirits!  Should  that  prove 
that  we  ourselves  are  entangled  in  such  an  awful  case,  then  we  can  look 
for  a  solution  in  the  customary  proceedings.  My  dear  friends,  you  say : 
**That  is  exaggeration!"  Very  well!  But  just  look  on  the  young  tree, 
when  it  grows, — it  grows  down  too!  Only  when  we  come  through  such 
terrible  experiences  can  we  be  ready  for  a  decision  of  a  new  culture. 
8elf -consciousness  becomes  then  a  shining  sun;  the  present  a  free  field, 
upon  which  we  can  freely,  and  laconically  dance !  When  once  this  view 
is  caught  then  only  can  we  handle  our  psychological  operation,  and  never 
for  a  moment  flinch  with  fear  about  the  would-be  criminal  in  us  who 
could  be  punished !  You  then  become  the  real  prosecuting  attorney,  and 
only  then  you  know :  that  you  are  free  spirit  I  Nevertheless  while  we  stay 
with  our  present,  well  composed  acknowledgement,  we  are  prepared 
earnestly  for  a  century  long  chaos!  That  is  a  daring  hint  for  all  the 
world's  powers,  which  act  hastily  and  produce  such  geniuses,  who  will 
be  able  to  overturn  the  whole  old  civilization!  Nietzsche  claimed,  that 
he  talked  only  to  the  highest,  and  the  best  statesmen !  Very  well !  They 
should  be  on  guard!  Whatever  has  to  come  will  appear!  With  such  a 
stipulation,  Nietzsche  opened  a  free  field,  upon  which  each  individual 
can  go  as  it  pleases  him :  forward  or  backward !  Here  we  can  put  a  sure 
bet:  There  will  be  only  a  few  who  will  go  ahead!  Truth  in  itself 
points  out  that  the  man  who  is  well  equipped  with  the  sharp  knives  of 
psychology,  has  still  one  main  desire  or  unsatiated  thirst,  and  that  is :  to 
reach  the  top  most  point  of  literature.  *'A  general!"  as  Tolstoy  said,  and 
as  we  interpret  it,  to  become  a  real  ruler  of  the  centuries*  old  chaos! 
That  is  the  determined  resolution  obligatory  for  the  strict  duty  which 
we  call  philosophy !  and  he  who  can  not  see  the  point  of  a  new  culture  in 
it,  he  might  as  well  keep  out  of  the  rank  and  file  of  the  new  army ! 

Pardon  me,  my  dear  friends !  Do  you  see  any  point,  but  more  the 
command  of  such  a  well  instructed  general  as  Friedrich  Nietzsche  was? 
No!  Well,  I  will  start  anew!  To  judge  correctly  the  conclusion  of  a 
previous  chapter,  and  extend  my  interpretation,  this  necessitates: 
Forever  in  the  history  an  individual  always  came  to  the  front,  grasped 
maliciously  the  scepter  in  his  hasty  hand,  and  started  anew  to  rule !  This 
fact  shows  us  that  the  possibility  is  always  open  for  a  well  equipped 
individual!  The  modern  armament  Nietzsche  ordered  is  psychology! 
Nevertheless,  he  was  witty  enough  to  say  that  a  period  can  be  sub- 
merged with  derision;  as  for  instance:  the  case  of  Voltaire!    Napoleon! 

60 


and  we  know  today  that  Nitzsche  would  rule  some  centuries!  Not  with 
the  power  of  a  War-Lord,  but  with  psychological  instruction,  which 
would  surely  undermine  the  old  diplomacy !  Drop  today  one  psychologi- 
cal view,  and  the  strongest  states  of  our  globe  shake  like  the  young 
branches  of  a  tree!  Just  watch  the  censor's  machinery,  how  it  works  in- 
dustriously behind  each  psychological  malefactor!  But  what  is  the  use, 
Nietzsche  the  greatest  of  the  many  malefactors  is  gone!  The  work  he 
left  behind  belongs  to  the  whole  human  race,  and  the  gentlemen  who 
still  wants  to  make  new  states  on  the  old  fashion  might  better  be  on 
guard !  The  whole  observation  shows  us  farther,  that  a  period  makes  its 
own  fruit,  and  Nietzsche  pointed  it  out!  To  show  that  my  conclusion 
is  founded  on  reality,  I  shall  quote  here  two  sentences  from  Herr 
Johannes  Schlaf 's  book,  who  is  still  an  obnoxious  defender  of  the  tele- 
ological  system,  and  who  strongly  believes  that  he  can  turn  the  wheels 
of  progress  backward  to  the  big  Egyptian  Holy-Book.  He  remarked  well 
on  page  144 : 

"In  this  division  comes  forth  even  that  gloriflcation  of  Italian  Renaissance, 
which  for  Nietzsche  is  so  important,  and  will  be,  and  with  which  he  ruined  funda- 
mentally the  most  modern  at  home,  and  in  whole  Europe.  A  true  evangel  of 
Decadence,  and  of  Satans,  that  Nietzsche  disbursted,  and  whose  effect  we  have 
on  our  neck!" 

He  was  very  free  with  his  underscoring,  and  exclamation  mark, 
and  why  should  we  keep  the  same  mark  out  of  our  writing !  The  time  of 
Laurence  Sterne,  the  great  (may  be  even  the  greatest!)  English  psycho- 
logist, whom  Fredrich  Nietzsche  envied  for  his  free  writing,  and  who  al- 
ways had  to  sniff  whenever  he  had  to  put  an  exclamation  mark  is  over 
forever!  Therefore  the  writing  of  our  literary  friend  from  the  enemy ^s 
camp  comforts,  tickles,  and  even  to  some  extent  ravishes  us,  because  of 
the  period  **with-the-alarm-clock-in-the-hand,"  which  longed  for  re- 
demption, received  a  tremendous  big  mill-stone  on  its  farewell  pro- 
ceeding, and  is  now  down  at  the  bottom  of  the  deepest  sea,  and  accord- 
ingly out  of  our  surroundings!  Furthermore,  we  can  confess  that  even 
here  a  new  acknowledgment  came.  That  can  not  be  argued  away,  even 
not  from  our  sternest  antagonist,  who  frequently  reports  the  fact.  But 
to  all  these  remarks  it  is  better  we  stay  on  guard!  The  account  must  end 
only  in  one  book:  the  new  culture!  Evidence  for  it  is  the  unspeakable 
inishing  of  the  tide,  and  falling  of  the  ebb  of  our  enormously  progressing 
degeneration ! 

The  time  is  approaching  where  the  degenerates  will  fight  with  their 
last  life's  power, — for  their  very  life  before  they  are  forced  to  go  down, 
and  out.  It  might  be  that  ^vith  this  terrible  occasion  it  will  be  a  fact 
that  the  most  noble  character  will  die ;  but  this  battling  period  undoubt- 
edly must  bring  forth  its  good  fruit !  Out  of  these  many,  awful,  and  un- 
happy accidents,  there  must  remain  one  noble  character,  who  will  find  the 
saving  roads ;  and  upon  it  bring  his  own  destiny  to  a  most  wonderful 
blossom  on  account  of  the  monster  system!  With  such  a  happy  view- 
point, and  a  well  accounted-for,  profitable  intelligence,  we  can  at  last, 
even  today,  turn  delightfully  to  the  social  outcasts,  and  gypsies,  and  wel- 
eome  them  with  heartfelt  sincerity  as  our  guests!  But  dear  friends! 
iould  you  acknowledge  that  there  never  was  such  a  point  in  history  at 


least  in  the  educational  view-point ;  before  Nietzsche  gave  us  the  psycho- 
logical intelligence?  Furthermore,  I  have  to  confess:  In  this  homely, 
and  hidden  hint  is  still  some  indication  vi^hich  longs  for  sunlight!  Oh  I 
friends,  if  we  could  only  put  on  this  paper  our  own  understanding  of  this 
proceeding  or  our  interpretation  of  it.  Nevertheless,  to  all  these  posi- 
tiveness  of  expecting  the  clash  of  persecution,  one  thing  remains  sure 
for  us :  From  now  on  we  can  be  still  more  trustful  and  positive,  that  there 
are  many  secret  paths  open  for  us,  upon  which  the  real  culture-carriers 
can  not  be  so  easily  caught!  Should  that  be  indeed  the  reality,  that 
there  is  nobody  here  now  who  could  signify  the  possibility  of  our  as- 
sertion, then  there  are  some  wanderers  left,  who  can  signify  freshly,  this 
unheard-of  assertion  from  their  own  well  tasted  experience!  But  why 
should  we  talk  so  much  about  hidden  things  at  present;  we  will  have 
more  opportunity  to  talk  about  them  when  we  investigate  the  other 
works  of  Friedrich  Nietzsche.  At  present  we  have  many  books  on  our 
shelves  about  Nietzsche,  but  lack  the  real  interpretation  of  his  view- 
point about  the  new  culture ;  before  anything  else,  these  many  critics  lack 
the  real  meaning  of  Nietzsche's  view-point  in  regard  to  the  management 
of  our  collective  system;  i.e.,  the  Human  race!  Just  as  we  said  a  while 
ago,  we  want  to  leave  this  remarkably  delicate  point  until  we  come  to 
the  other  books  of  Nietzsche. 

Let  us  proceed.  In  between  such  extensive  indication,  he  did  not 
forget  to  talk  about  a  wonderful  education.  That  is  a  point  for  us, 
because  it  belongs  here.  He  meant  that  this  wonderful  education  would 
be  most  important  especially,  when  out  of  it  eventually  will  come  un- 
heralded to  the  front  a  new  God.  He  meant  further,  that  with  such  an 
unexpected  fact  every  wonder  will  disappear,  and  there  will  be  a  myster- 
ious question  in  the  minds  of  the  most  thoughtful  intellectuals,  namely: 
''How  then  will  the  inquisitive  intellect  sail  through  such  a  well  armed 
society?*'  Here  we  may  not  forget,  that  with  a  new  God  will  come  even 
the  thousand  years'  tidly  melted,  and  freshly  forged  chains  of  society, 
behind  which  will  hide  an  irreconcilable  tyrrany, — and  then  the  free 
spirits  may  look  with  wide  open  eyes  upon  the  new  situation,  and  investi- 
gate it,  and  at  last  find  the  way  out  of  such  a  chaos !  Therefore,  it  should 
be  our  duty  now,  to  prepare  for  such  a  future!  Nevertheless,  this  well 
accounted  for  warning  should  serve  as  an  important  hint  to  all  tiTie  men 
who  believe  on  modern  progress,  and  who  work  industriously  for  it: 
mthout  the  social  education !  It  is  necessarily  important  here  to  remark 
on  this  point:  The  greatest  intellectuals  knew  how  to  nurse  their  in- 
tellect to  the  highest  degree  of  the  most  imposed  power,  but  under  an 
extraordinarily,  and  trickily  case  they  were  influenced  by  hardly  ever 
imagined  deed !  Just  think  of  the  pitiful  case  of  a  Poe !  Hush!  Is  there 
anybody  here,  who  knows  what  became  of  Rabelias?  These  obviousness 
we  find  throughout  history!  In  spite  of  all  our  thoughtful  experiences, 
we  can  point  out  how  the  modern  civilization  prepares  further,  and  fur- 
ther, and  forever  to  bring  upon  the  battle-ground  stronger,  shai-per, 
more  bitter,  and  still  more  irreconcilable,  yes,  even  hardly  conquerable 
weapons,  which  indeed  so  greatly  discourage  the  individual,  that  he  be- 
comes afraid  to  think  a  thought  in  opposition  to  the  monster  system! 

62 


And  where  should  we  look  for  such  a  pitiful  idea?  Just  look  carefully 
on  the  customary  power,  and  soon  you  will  see  how  this  invincible  Might 
works  mercilessly  forever,  yes,  even  disgustingly  against  the  peaceful 
meditation  of  an  individual!  This  undescriptive  power  of  custom  will 
even  go  so  far  with  its  claim,  that  it  will  drive  the  individual  to  such  an 
extreme  degree,  where  he  will  rave,  or  even  run  mad!  Here  comes  an 
obvious  point :  The  history  of  public  opinion  has  reached  the  gate,  where- 
on the  word  "Democracy"  is  written!  In  spite  of  that  the  tremendous 
power  of  the  modern  monster  system,  namely  custom,  works  outrag- 
eously, unceasingly  and  strongly  against  the  evolution  of  the  individual, — 
everybody  is  getting  more  thirsty  for  the  truth!  This  shows  us 
how  the  deliverence  of  the  individual  becomes  an  unavoidable  necessity! 

This  insatiated  thirst  for  the  truth  in  between  the  high  tide  of 
degeneration  brought  to  us  an  incurable  disease  as  a  result.  In  spite  of 
such  a  well  known  reality,  we  use  no  eloquence  about  our  insane  asylum ! 
This  beguiled,  and  hidden  weed  of  our  modernity,  Nietzsche  saw  clearly 
and  therefore,  he  instantly  pointed  out  the  future  work  of  the  medicine 
man.  That  is  a  very  delicate  meal  for  an  inquisitive  taster,  because  the 
future  man  of  medicine  will  not  only  appropriate  his  professional  science 
for  the  body  but  will  assume  the  cause  of  the  modera  disease :  which  re- 
sult from  the  thoughts!  On  such  a  roundabout  road  Nietzsche  reached 
our  goal:  psychology!  That  is  a  distinguished  hint  for  all  the  fighters 
for  freedom,  because  with  it  we  can  prepare  ourselves  for  such  deeds  with 
which  we  intend  to  carry  out  our  private  as  well  as  our  social  life.  The 
artful  trick  of  a  freedom  fighter  not  only  consists  in  vulgar  dishonorabl- 
ness,  but  in  a  well  composed  eloquence  of  diplomatic  art!  Each  freedom 
fighter  should  retain  a  well  marked  firmness  in  the  manner  in  which 
he  means  to  fight. 

Here  Nietzsche  showed  where  degeneration  ended,  and  therefore, 
it  will  be  hardly  possible  to  avoid  the  outcome.  There  would  not  be  any 
other  help  for  this  unspeakable  frightfulness  than  cold-blooded  science, 
which  will  be  able  to  overcome  and  deny  the  antique  stipulation:  That 
the  destiny  of  man  ever  can  depend  on  a  God !  Therefore,  we  must  again 
wilfully  open  our  eyes  which  were  almost  blinded  by  the  customary 
power,  so  as  to  fetch  the  hand  of  destiny,  and  bring  it  with  an  enthusias- 
tic lust  to  the  frivolity  of  our  beloved  Dionysos !  We  can  equalize  this 
point :  The  progressive  man  wants  to  take  the  full  responsibility  for  his 
own  action!  That  never  happened  in  the  history  of  the  organization  of 
our  well  known  teleological  system!  Perhaps  our  understanding  of  our 
social  proceedings  leads  us  even  to  fatalism, — nevertheless  nobody  can 
deny  the  sweeping  degeneration!  At  last  we  discover  a  new  acknowl- 
edgment :  The  legally  nursed  Doll-Play  of  the  enormous  Self -automatism 
must  stop!  But  to  avoid  a  still  worse  catastrophe,  Nietzsche  wrote  on 
page  229: 

**But  just  because  we  are  able  to  face  this  prospect,  we  shall  per- 
haps be  able  to  avert  such  an  end." 

However  it  reaches  us :  The  bitter  fight  must  be  carried  on  !  Should 
we  despair?  Never!  With  a  firmness  we  must  hopefully  turn  our  whole 
attention  upon  the  daily  customary  movements  of  our  neighbors, — because 

63 


in  them  we  can  recognize  easily  the  end  of  our  modern,  Money-Aristoc- 
racy's period  which  intentionally  presents  the  pompous  Mig'lit;  but  in 
reality  shows  tactfully  the  extensive  insolvency!  For  this  compliance, 
we  need  not  go  to  the  halls  of  our  extreme  radicals,  to  find  there  the 
real  significance!  Never!  Instead  we  will  go  in  security  to  the  most 
honored  banker,  and  politely  ask  him  for  his  last  bank-report :  That  will 
settle  all  our  mysterious  suspicions!  As  soon  as  we  recognize  the  real 
facts,  we  never  can  avoid  seeing  how  the  customary  movement  be- 
comes more  boastful,  or  even  fvightful  and  vulgar, — because  the  insolvent 
employers  cannot  as  of  old  demand  more  glorification  of  his  importance ! 
Who  will  dare  to  say  that  Nietzsche  exaggerated  is  his  explanation! 
Just  look  around  yourself  carefully,  and  observe,  and  investigate  the 
momentarily  molded  awkwardness  of  our  employers,  no  matter  who 
they  are,  how  it  turns  still  doltish; — ^but  at  the  same  time  you  can  see, 
on  the  other  side,  the  comically  pointed  finger  of  your  contemporary 
fellow  man!  The  more  we  take  into  consideration  the  antique  genu- 
flection of  receiving  trustworthiness, — the  more  obvious  strong  is  the 
irony.  The  LIE  has  come  to  a  Halt, — and  Truth  wants  to  rule  the  daily 
life!  Do  you  think,  with  this,  that  our  condition  becomes  more  mys- 
terious? And  then,  what  would  be  the  salvation  for  itT  Nietzsche 
claimed  again:  Science!  The  Self -acknowledged  proudly  arises  its 
head!  Therewith  meant  he,  we  will  become  the  real  explorers,  and 
straightway  reach  the  high  apex  of  philosophy, —  but  never  such  philos- 
ophy,  as  criticizes  the  empty  air,  but  one,  which  energetically  investigates 
the  immediate  field  of  our  wrecked  present,  on  which  field  it  must  find 
its  existence,  and  upon  it  build  the  roads,  and  crosspieces,  upon  which 
this  philosophy  can  proceed  without  any  fear!  With  such  a  conception 
this  new  explorer,  or  would-be  philosopher,  will  decline  to  obsei've 
nature,  but  on  the  other  hand  he  will  guard  himself  so  as  to  oppose  it! 
By  taking  great  care  he  will  have  better  eyes  for  the  different  authorities 
of  the  evaporizing  modemitj'-, — which  continually  nurses  itself  upon  the 
blood  of  its  subjects !  These  are  indeed  the  pearl,  which  Nietzsche  threw 
to  us, — which  we  took  with  respectful  submissiveness.  There  is  no 
cheating.  Based  upon  such  a  foundation  our  surroundings  will  become 
palpably  clear.  At  this  point,  we  can  easily  forget  the  old  time  pliable 
rattan,  which  used  to  swing  very  flexible  upon  our  back  by  the  rotary  of 
the  little  spinning-wheel,  so  as  to  impress  the  frightfulness  of  the  cor- 
rupt antiquity  upon  us!  This  momentary  turning  back  excites  in  us 
new  curiosity.  Here  we  have  two  doors  open  to  an  important  case. 
At  this  moment  we  feel  sudenly  free  of  all  the  imaginable  crimes,  and 
shake  our  head  joyfully  about  our  old  fear  of  the  prophecied  penalty 
to  come  after  our  death.  Only  through  such  an  unavoidable  manifesta- 
tion can  the  possibility  of  a  human  without  fear  be  continued!  From 
now  on  we  will  have  only  one  acknowledgment  left : — Whatever  we  see 
and  feel  shall  be  welcome,  and  everything  else  remain  upon  the  by-ways  I 
From  now  on,  we  shall  not  be  affected  by  the  shrieking  of  the  so-called 
progresive  Sirens!  Of  this  we  who  are  living  in  the  twentieth  century 
are  surely  convinced!  Consequently  our  view-point  shall  remain  sane, 
and  open  for  further  investigation  in  the  future.  There  will  be  no 
more  guess  work  and  less  skepticism ! 

64 


To  better  paint  for  us  the  coming  heaven,  Nietzsche  introduced 
''The  Mental  Tyrants/'  In  this  he  showed  us  where  gloominess  began, 
and  how  the  old  Greeks  fought  bravely  against  it.  Each  wanted  to 
overthrow  the  other,  and  so  they  all  took  a  triumphant  stand.  But  the 
severity  of  their  insolence  rose  so  high  that  from  it  developed  tyrannic 
disereation,  yes,  even  malevolence.  All  men  become  tyrants,  or  at  least 
all  intended  to  if  possible.  That  was  nothing  new  with  the  old  Greeks, 
because  they  had  well  compelled  Mythology  at  hand,  which  urged  them 
to  the  high  step  of  God,  to  the  ever  praised  rank  and  file  of  the  starry 
heaYen  and  so  to  immortality.  The  bloody  fight  became  more  bitter, 
that  at  last  they  all  lacked  good  judgment.  At  last  a  law  was  made 
even  against  nature ; — for  only  one  purpose  :  to  guard  their  overstrained 
life's  power.  Thus  led  them  to  meditate  upon  the  organization  of  a 
philosophical  state.  Plato  considered  repeatedly  with  a  fearful  sadness 
the  impossibility  of  his  organizing  this  ideal  state.  The  more  the  failure 
manifested  itself,  the  stronger  came  the  passion  abuse ;  and  gall  filled 
their  lives.  From  this  developed  a  bitter  contest  upon  the  public  streets, 
— where  rhetoric  became  leader.  Here  their  gall  changed  to  poison 
which  worked  like  a  true  assassin  upon  the  general,  and  assidous  men- 
tality, and  consequently,  each  one  was  completely  ruined,  or  better  say : 
killed!  ..That  is  the  way  this  reaction  came  to  its  own  triumph.  The 
great  men  like  Aeschj^lus,  Pinder,  Demosthenes,  and  others,  came  too 
late, — just  because  the  best  men  had  already  ruined  themselves  with 
their  personal  grievances.  This  immortal  battle  was  so  terrible,  that 
they  all  together  forgot  to  leave  a  right  type  of  their  own  countenance 
to  their  posterity.  But  Nietzsche  meant,  whoever  intends  to  recreate 
their  so-called  classic  type  for  monumental  recommendation  he  will  have 
to  have  a  great  hope  for  his  undertaking  and  still  more  for  his  success! 
This  indescribable  period,  which  concluded  with  vulgar  argumentation 
upon  the  crowded  streets  of  Athens,  became  the  doctrine  of  Socrates. 
Rhetoric,  at  last  triumphed  in  the  politic  of  the  Greek's  collectivity. 
Nevertheless,  we  have  to  confess  that  this  pitiful  period  continued  even 
to  our  own  time:  otherwise  we  never  could  perceive  the  fact.  To  make 
from  this  a  solicitous  hint  for  the  free  spirits,  Nietzsche  ended  on  page 
243  as  follows : 

"Oligarchs  are  necessary  to  each  other,  they  are  each  other's  best  joy,  they 
understand  their  signs,  but  each  is  nevertheless  free,  he  fights  and  conquers  in 
his  place  and  perishes  rather  than  submit." 

That  is  enough  for  present  deliniation  of  the  classical  antiquity.  I 
am  just  wondering,  if  I  may  be  courageous  enough,  to  bring  out  here 
Poe's  diction  on  this  point  in  his  article,  "Ligeia": 

"It  was  the  radiance  of  an  opium-dream — an  airy  and  spirit-lifting  vision 
more  wildly  divine  than  the  fantasies  which  hovered  about  the  slumbering  souls 
of  the  daughters  of  Delos.  Yet  her  features  were  not  of  that  regular  mold  which 
we  have  been  falsely  taught  to  worship  in  the  classical  labors  of  the  heathen." 

The  most  beautiful  thing  we  see  in  this  book  (likewise  in  Poe's)  is 
the  continuous  fight  against  the  centralized  Monster  System  of  teleology, 
which  crawled  as  a  glittering,  and  false  swath  down  through  the  centuries 
to  the  present  period.  In  the  next  article  Nietzsche  wrote  on  page  243- 
244: 


"The  greatest  fact  in  Greek  culture  remains  this,  that  Homer  became  so 
early  Hellenic.  All  mental  and  human  freedom  to  which  the  Greeks  attained  is 
traceable  to  this  fact.  At  the  same  time  it  has  actually  been  fatal  to  tjreek 
culture,  for  Homer  levelled,  inasmuch  as  he  centralized,  and  dissolved  and  more 
serious  instincts  of  independence.  From  time  to  time  there  arose  from  the 
depths  of  Hellenism  an  opposition  to  Homer;  but  he  always  remained  victorious. 
All  great  mental  powers  have  an  oppressing  effect  as  well  as  a  liberating  one; 
but  it  certainly  makes  a  difference  whether  it  is  Homer  or  the  Bible  or  Science 
that  tyranises  over  mankind." 

This  inner  feeling  which  Nietzsche  tried  to  hide,  and  in  his  book 
veiled  publicly  by  its  antiquity, — was  at  that  time  a  fresh-bom  weak 
offspring  which  saw  the  sun  light  for  the  first  time  between  the  Jura 
mountains  in  Switzerland.  Why  should  we  care  even  though  we  know, 
that  Nietzsche  liked  "to  pilfer  dainties,"  and  always  declined  to  report 
his  resources!  Just  because  we  are  so  "forgiving,"  we  preserve  our 
peace,  so  as  to  follow  further  our  hidden  feelings, — and  treasure  the 
hints  received!  Armed  with  such  a  profitable  gain  we  can  go  into  the 
modem  school  of  the  greatest  thinkers, — even  when  we  are  not  acade- 
micians !  As  such  prominent  explorers,  we  nurse  an  unshaken  confidence, 
with  which  we  can  easily  find  out,  how  the  modern  thinkers  refuse  with 
all  their  life's  power  to  attack  this  very  centralization,  which  is  the 
greatest  cancerous  affection  of  all  human  independence!!!  This  ju- 
dicious synopsis  makes  us  very  happy!  Believeing  this  we  can  courag- 
ously  await  the  prolonged  bitter  fight,  which  has  to  come! 

In  spite  of  his  excellently  summed  up  eloquence  Nietzsche  failed  to 
give  the  right  expression  of  his  own  feeling;  as  he  held  himself  always 
to  the  primitive  fact  of  science.  His  coldbloodedness  in  investigation 
never  ended, — and  we  wonder  many  times : — Which  way  he  will  * '  sail  ? ' ' 
In  such  a  tremendous  chaos  of  ingenious  thoughts  he  dared  to  bring 
out  a  true  fact,  which  does  us  more  good  than  everything  else  in  this  life, 
namely: — that  people  should  know  how  to  read  books!  With  this 
hardly  acceptable  recommendation  he  foisted-in  a  new  conception  for 
people,  namely:  philology,  or — slow  reading!  This  daring  reference 
was  at  that  time  (and  who  knows  but  it  is  today,  too!)  an  unforgiving 
insult,  and  simultaneously  a-down-coming-from-heaven-wonder,  because 
his  contemporary  friends  neither  cared  to  nor  could  still  less  understand 
his  earnestness!  This  fact  should  tickle  us,  who  live  in  the  twentieth 
century  even  more,  when  we  read  on  page  250: 

"False  conclusions  are  the  rule  in  older  ages;  and  the  mythologies  of  all 
peoples,  their  magic  and  their  superstition,  their  religious  cult  and  their  law  are 
the  inexhaustible  sources  of  proof  of  this  theory." 

Whatever  has  been  already  written  in  this  book,  and  what  Nietzsche 
intended  to  write,  and  could  not  (it  was  not  allowed!)  so  as  indirectly 
to  avoid  the  dissensions  of  his  readers  through  their  exposure,  we  want 
to  overlook,  because  we  have  a  very  positive  perception  of  his  time, 
and  from  this  we  know  our  ot^ti  time,  is  not  very  much  better !  In  spite 
of  all  his  acute  carefulness,  and  forcefully  deliniated  the  CYNIC !  ..Could 
we  ever  accept  this  without  an  imemnse  feeling  of  protest  mixed  simul- 
taneously with  jojrful  happiness !  It  is  true  that  his  philosophy  intended 
to  split  on  the  very  start  with  organized  society?  Could  he  ever  give 
a  better  warning  to  the  free  spirits?     What  did  he  wish  to  say  here? 

66 


Nothing  more  than  that  the  free  spirits  need  only  one  effort  for  their 
advancement,  and  this  is  the  hardening  of  their  bodies  and  minds! 
Therefore,  it  would  be  very  good  for  them  to  go  in  the  fresh  air,  giving 
the  strongest  wind  an  opportunity  to  blow  them  through,  and  through! 
That  was  a  carefully  concealed  hint  on  wandering,  but  this  hint  never 
pulled  righteously.  How  would  it  ever  be  possible,  that  those  pale  and 
striving  philosophers  would  dare  to  put  their  lives  under  the  tyranneous 
scepter  of  the  blowing  wind?  This  compromising  honor  nobody  wanted 
to  take  upon  himself.  The  careful  perception  of  impossibility  worked 
backward.  The  most  of  them  chose  the  timid  home-life,  even  when  it  was 
full  of  despair.  With  their  wisdom-finger  upon  their  thinker's  forehead, 
they  rather  glorified  in  their  homely  timidness,  any  Pan-Nationalism, 
or  even  Patheism,  but  they  never  could  decide  to  wander  under  the 
scepter  of  the  furious  tempest!  They  consciously  surrendered  their 
weapons,  and  surely  enough,  from  this  inevitableness  came  the  unavoid- 
able glorification  of  the  central  power !  We  can  easily  discover  the  feeling 
of  Nietzsche,  when  he  later  on  called  himself  only  ''good  European;" 
that  cannot  be  misunderstood!  Hush!  Germany's  government  was  the 
last  admirer  who  ever  could  posses  a  good  ''Conscience"  for  him!  He 
did  no  give  a  rap  for  that,  and  so  he  answered  harshly:  that  he  never 
wanted  to  acknowledge,  any  loyal  work  for  the  central  power!  There- 
fore he  pointed  at  the  CYNIC,  and  with  this  move  he  deliberately  turned 
the  water  on  the  mill  of  the  gypsy  life !  Nevertheless,  however  he  twisted 
the  yarn,  we  know,  that  such  a  deliberate  action  was  called  in  the  old 
times  Cynism,  and  at  present  REVOLUTIONISM!  That  is  a  very  harsh 
word,  but  it  gives  us  the  only  definition  of  the  independence  of  a  man! 
From  this  must  come  a  firmness  to  the  man  either  for  or  against  the 
central  power !  The  first  brings  to  him  a  heartfelt  complacency,  and  the 
secondly  the  outwitted,  lonesome,  and  troublesome  outcast.  That  is  an 
obvious  fact!  In  such  a  manner  Nietzsche's  result  of  scientific  investi- 
gation worked  against  the  "noble  goodness"  of  *the  centralized  states! 
There  is  nothing  here  for  doubt !  To  put  a  golden  crown  on  the  whole 
chaos,  so  as  to  illuminate  the  enfeebleness  of  the  pale,  timid  philosophers, 
he  wrote  on  page  258 : 

"It  is,  perhaps,  the  advantages  of  our  epoch  that  bring  with  them  a  back- 
ward movement  and  an  occasional  undervaluing  of  the  vita  contemplative.  But 
it  must  be  acknowledged  that  our  time  is  poor  in  the  matter  of  great  moralists, 
that  Pascal,  Epictetus,  Seneca,  and  Plutarch  are  now  but  little  read,  thatwork 
and  industry — formerly  in  the  following  of  the  great  foddes  Health — sometimes 
appear  to  rage  lime  a  disease.  Because  time  to  think  and  traquility  in  thought 
are  lacking,  we  no  longer  ponder  over  different  views,  but  content  ourselves  with 
hating  them.  With  the  enormous  acceleration  of  life  mind  and  eye  grow  accus- 
tomed to  a  partial  and  false  sight  and  judgment,  and  all  people  are  like  travelers 
whose  only  acquaintance  with  countries  and  nations  is  derived  from  the  railway. 
An  independent  and  cautious  attitude  of  knowledge  is  looked  upon  almost  as  a 
kind  of  madness;  the  free  spirit  is  brought  into  disrepute,  chiefly  through 
scholars,  who  miss  their  thoroughness  and  ant-like  industry  in  his  art  or  regard- 
ing things  and  would  gladly  banish  him  into  one  single  corner  of  science,  while 
it  has  the  different  and  higher  mission  of  commanding  the  battalion  rear-guard 
of  scientific  and  learned  men  from  an  isolated  position,  and  showing  them  the 
ways  and  aims  of  culture.  A  song  of  lamentation  such  as  that  which  has  just 
been  sung  will  probably  have  its  own  period,  and  will  cease  of  its  own  accord 
on  a  forcible  return  of  the  genious  of  meditation." 

67 


We  never  could  receive  a  better  hint,  explanation,  or  warning.  It 
must  follow,  that  the  real  active  man  can  only  transform  himself  with 
his  thoughts  into  the  action!  There  is  nothing  else  that  he  lacks  per- 
sonally, except  independence!  Here  we  should  not  deceive  ourselves 
for  most  men  are  forced  indirectly  by  well  organized  society  to  carry-on 
a  classified  occupation  which  they  can  never  dodge.  From  this  con- 
clusion obviously  comes  an  unavoidable  compromise,  therefore  each  one 
of  these  ''pale,  striving  philosophers"  guards  his  official  conscience 
carefully  so  that  they  may  not  point  their  ''wisdom-finger"  at  the  central 
power!  "We  could  write  many  books  on  this  conclusiveness.  But  let  us 
proceed  out  of  this  chaos,  and  listen  for  one  moment  to  what  Nietzsche 
had  to  say  on  page  259 : 

"All  mankind  is  divided,  as  it  was  at  all  times  and  still  is,  into  slaves  and 
freemen  for  whoever  has  not  two-thirds  of  his  day  for  himself  is  a  slave,  be  he 
otherwise  what  he  likes,  statesman,  merchant,  official,  or  scholar." 

That  is  the  most  remarkable  sentence,  which  we  have  yet  found! 
How  was  it  possible  for  Nietzsche  to  write  with  such  astute  cleverness? 
How  careful  he  was  to  end  the  list  with  the  scholar.  On  the  other  hand 
he  deliberately  forgot  to  mention  the  people  ''down  below,"  because 
they  have  shown  us  their  desire  for  the  Eight-Hour-Day!  According  to 
this  view,  from  ''down  below"  comes  the  real  action  against  the  central 
power.  May  we  rap  a  little  on  his  own  deliberate  conscience?  Prom  our 
investigation  we  see  a  contrast,  which  hurls  Nietzsche's  conclusion  back, 
because  we  see  that  he  deliberately  avoided  the  general  desire  for  ti-uth ! 
That  hectors  us  like  the  red  cloth  does  the  bull  in  the  bull-fight  in  an 
Arena.  Immediately  we  desire  to  confront  every  great  movement  of 
the  new  culture !  Our  courageous  look  becomes  at  once  vei*y  intense  and 
the  unavoidable  splitting  with  the  other  side  must  be  terrible!  When 
we  take  this  fearless  stand  we  make  an  obvious  acknoledgment  about 
the  WILL  for  Power!  That  is  what  we  learned  from  our  beloved  and 
affectionate  friend,  Nietzsche !  For  this  we  thank  him  sincerely !  Our 
reverant  thankfulness  will  be  the  mighty  factor  to  protect  us  from 
despair  throughout  the  coming  dreadful  period!  From  now  on  our 
trust  will  avoid  false  but  pretending  fighter,  who  always  has  sufficient 
excuses  for  the  many  lost  battles  for  higher  culture!  Nothing  vnll  be 
too  hard  for  us  from  now  on!  The  finish  of  our  being  on  a  lonesome 
country  road  will  eventually  become  a  delightful  delivery !  Thereby  we 
never  intend  to  dream:  about  the  flight  to  the  enemy's  camp!  We  will 
be  animated  by  a  new  and  brisk  courage!  Forward  will  remain  our 
motto ! 

These  are  the  Herald's  calls  which  came  to  us  from  Nietzsche.  His 
commanding  firmness  was:  You  have  to  fight  individually!  We  must 
resolve  to  fight  that  way ;  our  experiences  are  mighty  weapons  which  so 
command,  and  from  now  on  to  cari*y  out  this  resolution  will  be  our 
most  important  task,  because  we  do  not  know  how  the  situation  will 
stand  in  the  near  future.  We  discover  in  our  lives  one  thing :  the  mur- 
derous subjugation  of  our  Youth  that  held  sway  over  our  evolution! 
Nevertheless  we  taught  ourselves  through  our  bitter  struggle  how  a 
philosopher  must  develop!    We  want  to  follow  this  obscure  track  and 

C8 


deliberately  wish  ''Good  By-the-By!"  to  every  officially  declaimed  com- 
placency. We  know,  from  this  that  we  are  the  true  culture  carriers! 
Nothing  can  happen  to  us  other  than  a  secure  future  to  which  we  travel 
delightfully,  and  with  the  frivolity  of  the  dying  roses.  Our  personal 
life  assumes  its  true  value,  and  even  rescue  the  future.  And  with  this 
well  composed  enthusiasm  we  want  to  listen  to  the  last  Herald  call  in 
this  division  on  page  263-4-5 : 

"Forward. — And  thus  forward  upon  the  path  of  wisdom,  with  a  firm  step 
and  good  confidence!  However  you  may  be  situated  serve  yourself  as  a  source 
of  experience!  Throw  off  the  displeasure  at  your  nature,  forgive  yourself  your 
own  individuality,  for  in  any  case  you  have  in  yourself  a  ladder  with  a  hundred 
steps  upon  which  you  can  mount  to  knowledge.  The  age  into  which  with  grief 
you  feel  yourself  thrown,  thinks  you  happy  because  of  this  good  fortune;  it  calls 
out  to  you  that  you  shall  still  have  experience  which  man  of  later  ages  will  per- 
haps be  obliged  to  forego.  Do  not  despise  the  fact  of  having  been  religious; 
consider  fully  how  you  have  had  a  genuine  access  to  art.  Can  you  not,  with  the 
help  of  these  experiences,  follow  immense  stretches  of  former  humanity  with  a 
clearer  understanding?  Is  not  that  ground  which  sometimes  displease  you  so 
greatly,  that  ground  of  clouded  thought,  precisely  the  one  upon  which  have 
grown  many  of  the  most  glorious  fruits  of  older  civilization?  You  must  have 
loved  religion  and  art  as  you  loved  mother  and  nurse — otherwise  you  cannot  be 
wise.  But  you  must  be  able  to  see  beyond  them,  to  outgrow  them;  if  you  remain 
under  their  ban  you  do  not  understand  them.  You  must  also  be  familiar  with 
history  and  that  cautious  play  with  the  balance:  'On  the  one  hand — on  the  other 
hand.'  Go  back,  treading  in  the  footsteps  made  by  mankind  in  its  great  and 
painful  journey  through  the  desert  of  the  past,  and  you  will  learn  most  surely 
whither  it  is  that  all  later  humanity  never  can  or  may  go  again.  And  Inasmuch 
as  you  with  all  your  strength  to  see  in  advance  how  the  knots  of  the  future  are 
tied,  your  own  life  acquires  the  value  of  an  instrument  and  means  of  knowledge. 
It  is  within  your  power  to  see  that  all  you  have  experienced,  trials,  errors,  faults, 
deceptions,  passions,  your  love  and  your  hope,  shall  be  merged  wholly  in  your 
aim.  This  aim  is  to  become  a  necessary  chain  of  culture — links  yourself,  and 
from  this  necessity  to  draw  a  conclusion  as  to  the  necessity  in  the  progress  of 
general  cu<lture.  When  your  sight  has  become  strong  enough  to  see  to  the  bottom 
of  the  dark  well  of  your  nature  and  your  knowledge,  it  is  possible  that  in  its 
mirror  you  may  also  behold  the  far-away  visions  of  future  civilization.  Do  you 
think  that  such  a  life  with  such  an  aim  is  too  wearisome,  too  empty  of  all  that  is 
agr<}eable?  Then  you  have  still  to  learn  that  no  honey  is  sweeter  that  that  ol 
knowledge,  and  that  the  overhanging  clouds  of  trouble  must  be  to  you  as  an 
udder  from  which  you  shall  draw  milk  for  your  refreshment.  And  only  when  old 
age  approaches  will  you  rightly  perceive  how  you  listened  to  the  voice  of  nature, 
that  nature  which  rules  the  whole  world  through  pleasure;  the  same  life  which 
has  its  zenith  in  age  has  also  its  zenith  in  wisdom,  in  that  mild  sunshine  of  a 
constant  mental  joyfulness;  you  meet  them  both,  old  age  and  wisdom,  upon  one 
ridge  of  life — it  was  thus  intended  by  Nature.  Then  it  is  time,  and  no  cause 
for  anger,  that  the  mists  of  death  approach.  Tow^ard  the  light  is  your  last  move- 
ment; a  joyful  cry  of  knowledge  is  your  last  sound." 

IX 

In  the  sixth  division,  ''Man  in  Society,"  the  classification  is  excellent. 
Under  no  circumstances  could  it  be  better.  Everything  in  this  book  is 
as  well  sorted,  and  arranged,  as  though  so  destined, — and  yet,  just  listen 
to  Herr  Johannes  Schlaf's  foaming  expression  on  page  146: 

"A  straight,  classical  chapter  indeed!  What  form  of  meditation  has  science 
induced   Nietsche   to   follow   in   'human-all-to-human?'     This   and   other   cunning 


trickeries,  such  as  only  a  Frenchy  could  develop.  I  may  overlook;  but  Nietzsche 
dwells  less  on  this  trickery,  in  the  utmost  shallowness  of  the  problenx,  the  unequal 
depths  of  which  should  be  taken  into  consideration  today." 

A  real  German  could  not  write  these  three  sentences  better!  There- 
fore we  have  our  happiness  in  them,  no  matter  who  we  are !  We  are  by 
this  time  well  acquainted  with  the  powerful  steam-tugs  of  the  command- 
ing central  power!  Just  as  we  are,  we  want  to  observe  with  lovable 
premeditation  the  two  opposing  defenders  of  culture.  We  have  a  reason 
for  it;  because  then  only  can  we  properly  decide  for  the  one  or  the 
other, — that  was  ever  the  manner  upon  this  world,  when  there  were 
difficult  problems  for  solution.  No  man  ever  could  go  ahead  on  two 
roads!  Such  was  the  Herald's  call  of  an  old  Roman  slave:  Epictetus. 
In  the  same  manner  Nietzsche  caled  to  us,  and  so  we  must  call  to  our- 
selves. With  such  a  methodical  meditation  we  love  to  smirk,  and  with 
such  a  wanton  smile  we  must  listen  here  and  now  to  such  a  man:  who 
is  indeed  more  truthful!  We  confess  truth  amuses  us  more.  And  only 
for  one  reason:  It  always  creates  danger!  The  forbidden  fruit  is 
always  sweet ;  nobody  looks  a  presented  nag  in  his  mouth !  The  meaning 
of  it?  Well,  with  such  a  laconic  remark  we  catch  the  thought  behind! 
This  we  learned  when  we  were  children: — Power  came  and  we  became 
ripe  for  the  earthly  life !  With  such  a  remarkable  acknowledgment  we 
recognized  too  quickly  the  crooked  By-ways,  upon  which  we  were  com- 
pelled to  become  the  very  sagacious  sneaks !  Indeed,  we  are  living  under 
the  glorius  stars  Juspiter  and  Venus,  and  therefore  we  should  know; 
how  to  act  in  our  present  society,  which  wants  to  quell  its  insatiated 
thirst  with  persecuted  victims!  We  acknowledge  this  intelligence  as 
magnificent,  even  appeasing!  Therefore  the  time  for  a  careful  investi- 
gation will  fly-by  like  a  milky  white  Albatros.  What  means  that?  Noth- 
ing more,  and  nothing  less  than:..  We  will  have  plenty  of  time  for  our 
necessary  reading!  i.  e.,  for  slow  reading,  if  you  please!  And  as  we  are 
living  in  the  twentieth  century,  we  will  easily  forget  through  our  slow 
reading  the  drooling  manifestation  of  our  four-minute  men!  Hush! 
Even  today  the  silent  question  rules!  Which  one?  There  is  reason 
enough  to  discover  it,  because  nobody  dares  to  answer,  and  therefore 
we  make  a  big  Hallo  about  other  things,  to  distract  from  the  main  issue 
in  our  society !    Selah!  * 

The  division's  beginning  is  as  follows:  ''In  intercourse  with  men 
a  well-meant  dissimulation  is  often  necessary,  as  if  we  did  not  see  through 
the  motives  of  their  actions."  That  is  very  amusing,  and  with  it,  our 
lives  become  to  us  a  lovely  darling!  Can  you  swallow  that?  Did  you 
ever  meditate  about  the  valuable  of  such  sentence  as  a  warning?  Well, 
here  it  is : — We  have  to  be  on  guard  against  the  persons  whom  we  meet ! 
Furthermore:  Only  the  nearby  person  can  use  discretion  about  our 
personal  life!  That  is  a  magnificent  search-light  with  which  Nietzsche 
illuminated  his  surroundings!  Whoever  is  covetous  enough  to  throw 
slander  on  this  characteristic  remark,  and  claim  different  points,  might 
as  well  travel  through  our  many  sided  slums  as  they  are  found  all  over 
the  globe,  and  there  acquaint  himself  to  gain  further  intelligence.  Other- 
wise in  the  illumination  of  Nietzsche's  expression  as  to  human  meeting, 
there  remains  always  the  same  tactics:    Failure  rules  triumphantly  our 

70 


well  pretended  glorious  friendship!  That  is,  even  for  us,  a  little  too 
sharp,  but  however  a  very  philosophical  deduction.  From  now  on  we 
must  study  a  lesson,  which  may  illuminate  the  whole  matter.  The  sys- 
tem which  always  intends  to  keep  the  UPPER  HAND,  must  drastically 
confuse  its  SUBJECTS  with  antagonism,  so  as  to  hold  its  triumphant 
standard  upon  the  foundation  of  a  thousand  years'  secrecy  of  power! 
What  is  the  remedy  for  it?  Just  to  acquire  with  cunning  subtlety  the 
utmost  patience,  and  with  a  brief  outlook  wait  until  a  sensible  perception 
reaches  the  right  kind  of  ground  I  Is  that  the  so  much  slandered  fatality  ? 
The  better  for  it!  Is  this  too  strongly  affirmed?  Let  us  see:  The  same 
remarkable  curiosity  which  Nietzsche  grasped  with  his  scientific  investi- 
gation about  the  educated  people,  we  marked  around  us  among  the 
uneducated  toilers !  And  this  is  no  wonder,  because  we  know  how  to 
draw  the  exact  parallel  between  these  two  conditions; — Exception  be- 
came Regularity!  Is  that  too  much?  Nietzsche  literally  accounted  for 
a  prolonged  wandering,  but  we  on  the  other  hand  jumped  over  all  the 
hills  and  valleys,  and  sailed  over  all  the  five  seas  without  ever  making  a 
mistake  in  our  account!  Was  it  too  dangerous  for  us  as  Non-acade- 
micians? Just  as  it  pleases  you:  ''Yes  or  No!"  That  depends  upon 
how  the  one  or  the  other  man  contrives  to  mold  his  impressions.  Aside 
from  everything  else  we  can  assert  one  point:  We  became,  through 
our  wandering,  well  hardened  in  our  body  and  our  mentality!  At  last 
we  became  so  immune  that  no  kind  of  weather  could  damag*e  us!  And 
please ;  what  do  you  think  the  people  said  who  met  us,  and  our  harden- 
ing bones?  They  never  said  one  word;  they  were  satisfied  when  we  went 
away:  our  absence  was  a  great  relief  to  them! 

These  are  such  strongly  distorted  points  that  only  a  few  can  under- 
stand, yes!  probably  even  some  of  those  few  decline  to  understand!  The 
cause  for  this  is  that  not  everybody  is  willing  to  live  such  a  life!  Most 
men  think,  with  such  a  life  on  their  back  might  reduce  their  value  and 
bring  curses  upon  their  reputation;  and  then,  a  life  without  that  lovely 
clapping  upon  the  shoulder  as  signified  grace,  seems  to  be  cause  for  a 
most  real  lamentation!  There  are  not  a  few  men,  who  want  to  do  that, 
and  so  they  continue  followdng  the  ordained  dictation,  and  surrendered 
their  lives  to  the  customary  vaunted  sweetness  (when  even  with  sorrow) 
which  acquiescence  nailed  their  souls  strongly  and  rapidly  to  the  ruling 
authorities  of  the  present  system.  They  carried  the  thousand-years'  old 
rattling  chains  without  murmur!  and  said  politely:  ''After  us  the 
deluge !"  But  in  between  the  time  all  of  them  declined  to  show  intellect! 
There  was  nothing  else  as  a  daily  duty,  but  their  forceful  compromise, 
which  brought  f rightfulness  to  them!  The  cause  for  this  was  that  the 
socially,  and  officially  elevated  men  declined  to  be  under  the  small  social 
stratum  of  the  densly  stupid  people  in  the  slums!  Therefore  our  pale, 
striving  philosophers  looked  amorously  on  the  music  or  sculpture  which 
they  lowered  to  their  profession!  Brisk  indication!  They  wanted 
deliberately  to  hide  the  TRUTH  with  their  actions,  but  still,  everybody 
guarded  carefully  the  invisible  tempest  which  threatened  a  complete 
clean-out !  It  mattered  not  if  the  one  wanted  to  go  or  not ;  that  was  a 
subordinate  part!    No  matter  how  they  calculated,  they  had  to  bite  on 

71 


the  well-larded  bait,  which  strangled  in  their  gullet,  and  then  they  called 
for  a  Doctor !  There  was  no  satisfaction  gained ; — but  how  could  those 
pale,  homely,  colorless  philosophers  ever  follow  Nietzsche's  Herald's  call? 
The  most  of  them  were  very  sick  of  primitiveness,  and  so  they  threw 
down  their  weights  of  opinion  as  the  last  decree  in  the  kingdom  of 
limited  possibility,  which  actions  drove  them  to  the  brink  of  oblivion, 
hardly  knowing  how  they  were  misused,  and  indeed  investigated;  and 
at  last  they  gave  up  without  protest! ! !  As  soon  as  they  were  there,  they 
acknowledged  they  had  acted  mercilessly  toward  themselves;  but  this 
acknowledgment  came  too  late !  At  the  same  time  these  ' '  well-instructed 
men  of  official  philosophy"  discovered  the  third  generation  of  their  lives, 
where  the  hungry  wolves  hallooed  their  heads  off  before  their  door,  while 
fright  paralyzed  their  once  formerly  very  elastic  thoughts!  Penance 
pulled,  sorrow  ransacked,  and  long  maggots  of  remorse  industriously 
chewed  their  lives  and  left  them  in  horrible  sadness!  And  ere  these 
gentlemen  of  official  wisdom  could  brace  up,  they  found  themselves  upon 
a  country  road  traveling  without  any  aim!  Upon  this  so  cleverly  built 
foundation,  Nietzsche  made,  in  his  ^'Thus  spake  Zarathustra"  the  well- 
known  article  "Shadow."  Nevertheless  the  once  true  servants  of  the 
monster  system  lost  their  courage  for  advancement,  and  danger  wanted 
to  shake  hands  wdth  them !  They  were  standing  on  the  brink  and  knew 
not  how  to  conduct  a  personal  struggle !  The  recommendation  to  disre- 
pard  precedent  became  a  very  hard  nut  which  they  could  not  crack! 
Therewith  their  lives  became  to  them  a  very  intricate  question.  But  not 
for  Nietzsche,  because  on  page  292-3-4  he  poured  out  his  personal 
wisdom : 

"Just  consider  with  thyself  how  different  are  the  feelings,  how  divided  are 
the  opinions  of  even  the  nearest  acquaintances;  how  even  the  same  opinions  in 
thy  friend's  mind  have  quite  a  different  aspect  and  strength  from  what  they 
have  in  thine  own;  and  how  manifold  are  the  occasions  which  arise  for  misunder- 
standing and  hostile  severance.  After  all  this  thou  wilt  say  to  thyself,  'How 
insecure  is  the  ground  upon  which  all  our  alliance  and  friendships  rest,  how 
liable  to  cold  downpours  and  bad  weather,  how  lonely  is  every  creature!'  When  a 
person  recognizes  this  fact,  and,  in  addition,  that  all  opinions  and  the  nature 
and  strength  of  them  in  his  fellowman  are  ustj  as  necessary  and  irresponsible 
as  their  actions;  when  his  eyes  learn  to  see  this  internal  necessity  of  opinion, 
owing  to  the  indissoluble  interweaving  of  character,  occupation,  talent,  and 
environment — ^he  will  perhaps  get  rid  of  the  bitterness  and  sharpness  of  the 
feeling  with  which  the  sage  exclaimed,  'Friends,  there  are  no  friends!'  Much 
rather  will  he  make  the  confession  to  himself:  Yes,  there  are  friends,  but  they 
were  drawn  towards  thee  by  error  and  deception  concerning  thy  character;  and 
they  must  have  learnt  to  be  silent  in  order  to  remain  thy  friends;  for  such  human 
relationships  almost  always  rest  on  the  fact  that  some  few  things  are  never  said, 
are  never  indeed,  alluded  to;  but  if  these  pebbles  are  set  rolling  friendship  follows 
afterwards  and  is  broken.  Are  there  any  who  would  not  be  mortally  injured  if 
they  were  to  learn  what  their  most  intimate  friends  really  knew  about  them?  By 
getting  a  knowledge  of  ourselves,  and  by  looking  upon  our  nature  as  a  changing 
sphere  of  opinions  and  moods,  and  thereby  learning  to  despise  ourselves  a  little, 
we  recover  once  more  our  equilibrium  with  the  rest  of  mankind.  It  is  true  that 
we  have  good  reason  to  despise  each  of  our  acquaintances,  even  the  greatest  of 
them;  but  just  as  good  reason  to  turn  this  feeling  against  ourselves.  And  so 
we  will  bear  with  each  other,  since  we  bear  with  ourselves;  and  perhaps  there 
will  come  to  each  a  happier  hour,  when  he  will  exclaim: 

"  'Friends,   there   are   really   no   friends.' " 

"Those  cried  the  expiring  old  sophist;' 

"  'Foes,  there  is  really  no  foe' — thus  shout  I,  the  incarnate  fool." 

72 


In  proceeding  with  our  investigation  we  have  to  be  very  careful, 
and  never  forget  our  personal  aim  in  the  literary  investigation  of  a 
mighty  character  and  his  work.  We  undertook  to  follow  his  writing, 
but  the  more  we  read  the  better  we  discovered  his  actual  living  within 
his  immediate  surroundings,  which  fact  appeased  us  instead  of  disturb- 
ing. We  feel  very  happy  for  this  result,  and  now,  that  we  have  read  his 
epistle  to  his  contemporary  friends,  we  want  kindly  to  remember  the 
place  where  he  wrote  such  ardent  epistle.  That  place  was,  as  we  well 
know,  in  that  beautifully  situated  Hotel,  which  was  selected  by  Miss 
Malwilda  von  Meysenbug,  for  a  certain  purpose,  which  we  know,  too. 
How  he  felt  there  we  know,  too,  from  the  book  of  the  above  mentioned 
lady,  whose  description  corresponds  correctly  with  his  magnificent 
characteristic  of  the  friends  of  free  spirits!  Therefore  we  understand 
clearly  the  tenor  of  his  personal  life  coupled  with,  and  his  sincere  liter- 
ary aim.  He  proclaimed  a  bitter  war!  Against  whom?  Well,  we  know 
already  the  wrong  part  in  the  society  of  his  time.  But  at  the  same 
time  we  are  exhilirated  by  our  summing  up,  and  consider  our  surround- 
ings, where  we  have  to  vegetate  throughout  our  existence.  There  is 
no  change  since  Nietzsche's  time  for  a  man  who  sees  deeper  into  the 
social  condition  officially  sustained.  Here,  I  do  not  accuse  or  complain, 
because  I  am  not  a  gossip.  I  am  stating  a  fact.  The  sniffing  agent  of 
the  espionage  act,  who,  clothed  in  the  uniform  of  a  friend,  is  moving 
among  us,  tries  to  confuse  our  mentality  for  his  pre-arranged  report! 
We  are  so  far  ahead  of  him  as  to  disturb  that  disguised  gentleman,  be- 
cause he  shows  how  ignorant  he  is  to  explore  our  mentality !  We  are  so 
wide  awake  about  our  own  personal  life,  that  we  are  astonished  at  the 
Nietzsche's  ''Northpole  Expedition"  of  the  friendly,  intelligent  people 
surrounding  him,  where  he  discovers  the  same  fact  we  did  about  that 
employed  "agent"!  Well,  to  be  frank,  that  investigation  of  his  was 
not  so  very  extraordinary,  but  the  point  we  wonder  about  is,  that  he 
molded  these  little  daily  occurrences  in  a  classical  language,  and  pub- 
lished them!  That  was  beyond  any  expectation,  and  covers  such  a  gen- 
eral custom  with  mighty  corruption,  which  signifies  the  rottenness  of 
our  system  to  the  topmost  part  of  its  diplomatic  existence.  Oh!  We 
never  were  cheap,  and  this  time  we  have  another  confession  to  make: 
The  publication  of  the  book  ''Human — All-Too-Human,"  after  the  of- 
ficially arranged  festival  in  Bayreuth,  was  too  much  for  the  artists,  and 
as  these  gentlemen  glorified  the  new  established  art  of  German  Kultur 
with  Mr.  Bismark,  the  greatest  artist  on  the  top,  this  book  was  put 
under  the  sharpest  knives  Avhich  were  at  the  hands  of  the  authorities  at 
Wilhelm  Strasse,  Berlin.  They  tried  to  do  "things"  against  Nietzsche, 
but  he  was  too  far  away  and  too  much  on  a  pinnacle,  from  which  he 
could  not  be  brought  back!  He  knew  that!  Therefore  his  daring  was 
fresh,  his  frivolity  rough, — he  did  not  give  a  rapp  about  his  job,  al- 
though had  to  perform  it!  Can  we  imagine  why  he  wrote  so  much 
about  wanderers,  outcasts,  gypsies,  and  proclaimed  a  bitter  war  to  the 
last  drop  of  his  blood?  Yes!  Everything  comes  so  clearly  to  the  front 
in  our  present  investigation,  so  we  hardly  wondering :  when  the  educated 

73 


gentlemen  laid  his  writing  aside,  and  left  his  future  to  his  own  expected 
fatality! 


Seventh  division  "Wife  and  Child"  is  a  very  delicate  case,  which 
we  should  not  underestimate,  especially,  when  we  meditate  on  the  brave 
men,  who  intended  to  dash  upon  their  present  system!  Here  again  we 
have  to  separate  them,  and  follow  each  one  individually  through  his 
personal  actions  so  that  we  may  see  his  real  thoughts!  When  we  have 
the  individual  at  the  front,  we  will  decline  to  take  into  consideration 
his  social  classification!  So  Nietzsche  took  each  case  of  social  stability, 
and  suited  it  to  the  action  of  an  individual,  so  as  to  reach  the  true  con- 
clusion of  the  whole  combined  system;  so  we,  too,  must  investigate! 
In  the  first  line,  we  learn  some  points  about  the  freedom  fighters,  and 
their  forthcoming,  when  they  accommodated  themselves  to  matrimony. 
What  kind  of  aim  had  they?  Friendship,  voluptuousness,  or  simple 
following  of  custom?  At  present  we  do  not  care  to  dig  deeper  into 
their  motives  because  we  knoAv  what  kind  of  Nietzsche's  writing  we  are 
investigating.  We  have  a  very  good  knowledge  of  how  matrimony 
at  present  fails  to  supply  the  freedom's  fighter  with  a  friendship!  The 
cause?  What  signifies  the  general  restlessness?  Merely  the  dense 
ignorance  ?0f  what?  Well,  when  a  man  acquires  matrimony,  and  has 
not  the  aim  that  gravitation  commands,  then  and  there  tyrannous  sensu- 
ality becomes  the  real  boss!  Then  **Good  by-the-by!"  to  the  patience 
for  the  reading  of  philosophical  books !  That  accounts  for  our  fighters 
of  freedom,  too! 

Whoever  longs  after  freedom  in  a  well  organized  society,  must  free 
himself  from  the  fundamental  evil!  For  this  reason  we  too  have  to 
examine  the  foundation  of  the  whole  system,  and  investigate  it  in  detail. 
For  this  very  delicate  work  we  must  have  the  sharpest  knives  for  the 
operation,  so  as  to  be  able  to  uncover  the  last  point  of  hidden  rule  of 
a  corrupt  system.  We  saw  in  the  other  divisions  how  Nietzsche  in- 
terpreted the  actions  of  the  whole  art  to  the  last  point,  and  we  under- 
stood this  proceeding.  He  did  not  care  to  overlook  a  single  point,  nor 
to  trot  ahead  blindly!  It  might  be  a  fact,  that  the  other  gentlemen 
were  fooled  by  his  actions,  but  we  acknowledge  that  was  not  the  case 
with  Nietzsche!  With  genuine  truthfulness  he  only  wanted  to  warn 
the  freedom  fighters  of  the  fundamental  part  of  matrimony!  Why  did 
he  do  that?  Just  because  he  suffered  "Human — all-too-humanly"  on 
the  lan^ishing  point  of  all  the  great  men!  With  such  conciously  senti- 
mental part  of  his  dignity  he  pointed  out  the  falshehood  of  the  rulers 
and  their  verification  of  the  true  facts  of  the  whole  history ! 

The  movement  for  a  higher  culture  showed  some  bitter  battles, 
where  in  public  the  firm  fuss  raged  for  or  contra.  The  real  motives 
of  such  endless  controversy  were  always  deliberately  veiled  or  even 
hidden!  But,  at  the  front  of  this  bloody  fighting  we  see  the  individual 
character,  who  was  lacerated  by  the  enemy  and  bathed  in  his  own  blood! 

74 


Further  we  see  that  many  a  brave  man  was  lost  and  yet,  we  are  stand- 
ing,— again  as  individuals  before  that  tremendous  big  historical  false 
interpretation  of  authority,  and  calculating  on  our  decision!  We  come 
here  to  the  A.  B.  C.  school  of  most  important  teaching  :the  Sexual  Edu- 
cation! In  the  mean  time,  just  because  the  credit  system  juggles  with 
the  value  of  life,  and  tries  whenever  it  can,  to  conduct  all  our  earthly 
possession,  bodily,  mentally  on  a  false  road,  we  have  to  know  how  to 
decide.  Our  personal  Will  must  most  certainly  govern  tither  in  free- 
dom or  matrimony ! .  And  why?  However  we  may  interpret  the  desires 
of  our  personal  Will  the  real  accounting  comes  in  the  future !  And  after 
the  experience,  we  are  strong  enough  to  recall  to  our  own  mind  the  big 
unlimited  challenge  of  the  social  duties,  wherein  we  waste  TWO- 
THIRDS  of  a  day !  THEN  we  shudder  for  we  know  that  disease  ruins 
our  life!  x\t  the  time  of  our  visionary  recognition  we  see  our  own 
future  degenerated  SHADOW,  which  is  hunch-backed,  lame,  and  crawl- 
ing blindly  without  an  aim  and  at  last  dropping  faintly !  In  this  Shadow 
of  our  own  truthful  visions,  Ave  recognize  the  utmost  feebleness,  and  we 
realize  that  such  a  Shadow  can  not  have  power  except  for  an  imagined 
freedom !  Armed  Avith  such  a  Avell  founded  acknowledgement,  we  see  at 
present  a  well  twisted  web  stretched  out  for  victims  of  opportune  matri- 
mony! The  pitiful  conclusion  drives  us  to  soberness,  and  resolution  fol- 
lows. While  we  are  meditating  negation,  custom  brittles  in  its  power, 
for  the  victim  of  matrimony, — who  feels  like  the  man  before  the  gallows, 
who  was  very  ticklish  on  his  neck,  but  had  to  allow  the  rope  on  it  J 
If  we  persistently  decline  to  recognize  the  urgent  call  for  the  matrimony 
in  our  classification,  we  are  marked  as  woman-haters — (in  New  Zealand 
they  prefer  a  married  man  for  any  JOB,  and  I  am  talking  from  ex- 
perience!)— on  the  other  hand,  when  we  accept  the  situation  with  false 
politeness :  we  are  surely  lost !  Thus  we  can  see  how  truth  is  able  to  find 
the  right  road  without  publicly  declaimed  defenders!  But,  whoever 
tries  to  gainsay  trutli,  he  will  justly  be  harder  hit  by  the  invisible  cruel 
power  of  the  dear  lady :    TRUTH ! 

The  truth  must  be  acknoAvledged :  woman,  as  a  being  of  ordained 
necessity  for  the  propagation  of  human  species  is  no  enemy  to  no  man, 
at  least  to  a  free  spirit,  and  according  to  this  fact,  woman  can  not  be  in 
the  road  of  any  human  dcA^elopment !  Therefore  we  can  not  allow  any 
slandering  of  such  a  thinker  as  Nietzsche  was;  at  least  not  from  the 
defenders  of  the  Egyptian  custom,  who  try  to  rule  here,  and  make  a 
dummy  of  every  individual !  They  might  think  that  they  had  done  away 
with  Nietzsche;  but  never  with  the  psychological  truth  which  he  left 
for  the  use  of  future  generations!  Here  we  make  another  confession: 
the  very  old  customary  gossip,  the  real  ruler  of  the  economical  part  of 
our  opportune  matrimony,  is  indeed  very  contradicting!  That  is  the 
search-light,  which  we  reach  through  our  carefully  considered  investi- 
gation, and  we  know  that  the  resolution  for  an  honest  man  will  be 
cordial!  Nevertheless  we  warn  once  more  our  beloved  friends  of  the 
other  side :  to  leave  the  sincere  student  at  his  work.  They  should  never 
try  to  slander  a  "woman-hater"!    Every  WHY  has  its  BECAUSE,  and 

76 


when  a  bad  venerial  disease  undermine  our  life,  we  have  to  take  en- 
ergetic precaution  against  it.  Whoever  wants  to  live  in  lazy  compla- 
cency he  must  sit  down  in  the  predistined  corner,  there  to  eat  the  well 
assorted  Loyalty,  slowly  but  surely  know  his  ordered  nuts,  and  ac- 
cordingly nurse  the  long  maggots  of  customary  penance,  and  at  last 
to  comply  with  the  murderous  affliction  of  daily  life, — so  as  to  await 
the  promised  mercy,  salvation,  and  recommendation  to  the  old  man  at 
the  big  door:  Who  has  the  KEY  to  it! 

In  conclusion  to  tliis  result,  I  have  a  short  extract  from  the  book 
II  :331,  of  Eduard  von  Hartmann : 

"No  matter  where  we  listen,  there  we  hear  the  stereotyped  complaint  of  our 
state  officials  and  army  officers  over  backward  setting  and  bad  advancement,  the 
compalints  of  artists  and  scholars  over  subjugation  through  envy  and  intrigue; 
everywhere  the  vexation  over  the  unworthy  preference  of  the  worthless  one. 
Upon  hundreds  mortification  of  ambition  comes  only  one  satisfaction;  the  first 
are  bitterl  yfelt,  the  second  are  regarded  as  long  gained  toll  of  justice.  The 
general  Self-overestimation  urges  every  Individual  for  high  demand,  and  the 
universal,  opposing  grudge  and  degradation  of  income  leaves  even  the  righteous 
claim  refuse  the  recognition." 

Those  are  indeed  good  indications  for  those  men  who  imagine  they 
may  with  such  actions  reach  freedom !  Nietzsche  could  not  be  impressed 
with  stich  lives!  Consequently  he  turned  to  the  other  side; — appealed 
to  himself, — which  we  can  see  in  the  following  sentence :  ' '  In  the  mean- 
time: the  raging,  suggestive  old  grumbler  and  the  old  bachelor  from 
Frankf ort-on-Main,  can  not  bother  us ! "  As  an  opposing  sentence  Henri 
Lichtenberger  wrote  for  us  in  his  book,  **The  Gospel  of  Superman," 
on  page  147-8: 

"Mingling  freely  with  the  multitude,  and  even  striving  to  elbow  their  own 
way  through  the  mob  of  egotistic  appetites,  woman  is  depoetising  herself!  And 
at  the  same  time,  under  the  pretext  of  artistic  culture,  she  is  losing  her  nerves — 
especially  by  the  abuse  of  Wagner's  music — and  is  thus  becoming  unfitted  for  her 
natural  vocation,  which  is  the  bringing  of  fine  children  into  the  world.  Europe 
is  becoming  uglier;  it  is  tending  to  transform  itself  into  a  huge  lazar-house  or 
hospital.  Without  severe  sorrows,  but  also  without  very  great  joys,  an  uninter- 
esting mi:ltitude  of  men,  equal  in  their  mediocrity  and  impotence,  lead  a  dejected 
life  on  this  earth  without  hope  and  without  object." 

Here  must  follow  for  us  the  exact  investigation,  and  the  result 
must  be  obtained  according  to  the  conclusions  reached.  Should  our 
choice  be  complacency:  then  every  fight  for  freedom  stops!  On  the 
other  hand  it  must  be  clear  to  us,  that  first,  we  want  completeness  of 
thought,  and  consequently  we  need  every  minute  of  free  time!  We 
have  to  comprehend  that  the  present  is  the  tune  for  the  true  develop- 
ment of  free  personalities!  Therefore  we  have  to  condemn  frivoltry 
about  every  Loyalty!  Just  because  our  life  need  hardening  we  do  not 
care  to  cheat  ourselves ! 

When  we  investigate  with  such  a  perspective  the  whole  system,  the 
result  will  show  some  puzzles,  especially,  when  we  come,  as  a  free  spirit, 
to  look  for  a  wife !  There  comes  the  first  puzzle :  The  mental  arma- 
ment is  perfect,  and  the  woman  is  on  her  guard — Nobody  ever  will  pass 
a  meeting  with  woman  disguised!  Therefore  tlie  meeting  witli  woman 
will  be  more  enigmatical!  The  scientific  investigation  will  not  allow 
one  word  without  an  outbreak  of  opinion!    That  surely  will  illuminate 

76 


the  free  spirit,  and  the  ladies  will  decline  to  have  him  even  for  amuse- 
ment!    Such  tactic  will  surely  prove  a  failure  for  the  gentleman  who 
;  was  looking  for  a  wife !    All  of  his  meagerly  composed  conception  about 
** Happy  matrimony"  will  be  gone  forever!     The  whole  structure  of 
1  matrimonial  conceptions  crumbled  before  the  free  spirit  could  grasp 
how  it  ever  happened!    Then  comes  one  question:    **Why  is  this?"    A 
man  of  scientific  investigation  will  find  his  answers,  and  then  look  freely 
i  into  the  future  and  take  a  new  dose,  of  course!    There  will  be  no  exag- 
1  geration,  and  everything  will  be  as  clear  as  the  sunlight! 

This  final  result  will  not  overpower  the  free  spirit  for  the  ways 
and  by-ways  of  a  Saint,  but  he  will  be  far  more  careful  in  meeting  with 
I  people,  and  last  but  not  least :  He  will  be  just  a  little  cooler  against  the 
I  matrimonial  bait!  The  whole  customary  power,  and  all  its  arrogant, 
challenged  Loyalties,  will  leave  him  completely  in  peace!  Such  an  in- 
telligence will  elevate  him  above  imminent  punishment,  and  just  be- 
cause he  is  supposed  to  be  fearless,  he  will  be  straightforward  banished 
by  the  power  of  custom,  and  made  outcast!  A  short  while  ago  he  was 
in  a  certain  direction  outcast.  Now  he  is  completely  outcast.  Should 
he  reach  an  independent  aspect,  then  he  can  take  apart,  piece  by  piece, 
the  whole  question  which  governs  the  division  of  ^'Wife  and  Child," 
and  place  it  under  the  sharp  knives  of  psychological  operation,  and 
work  industriously  for  some  time — upon  this  investigation. 

In  no  manner  am  I  prejudiced  against  any  group  of  people  who 
have  different  experiences,  whom  I  found  under  different  nationalities, 
but  each  of  those  had  some  exceedingly  curious  points,  very  different 
each  from  the  other,  and  which  could  be  very  easily  distinguished.  A 
**Slav"  as  a  Type,  has  a  primitive  inheritence  of  the  old  Greeks.  With 
his  traditional  education,  he  has  something  in  his  mind,  that  corre- 
sponds more  nearly  to  the  true  psychology  than  all  the  other  nations! 
The  peculiar  melancholy  which  follows  this  **Slav"  Type  like  a  black 
Shadow,  is  indeed  the  best  proof  of  my  conclusion.  This  melancholy 
permeates  him  so  strongly  that  he  forgets  himself  entirely  on  hearing 
music,  and  even  on  seeing  sculpture.  Although  submerged  in  such  a 
difficult  position  yet  he  remains  brave,  and  despair  is  banished  from  his 
daily  life!  That  is  the  very  point  we  have  been  looking  for!  With 
complimentary  trustworthiness  he  observes  and  investigates  his  own 
rough,  or  absurd  feelings  so  that  he  may  understand  his  own  nature! 
From  now  on  the  life's  mystery  becomes  to  him  more  interesting,  and 
everything  else  transitory  things  and  of  no  concern  to  him!  Prom  this 
indeed  curious  '"Slav"  Type  develops  an  especially  molded  art,  i.  e., 
meditation,  which  compels  him  into  solitude  as  a  simple  necessity  of 
nature!  There  is  no  such  a  thing  as  "Free-Wil!"  and  anything  he 
does,  he  does  it  because  forced  to!  But,  what  is  he  meditating  so  much 
about?  There! — that  is  just  another  puzzle  for  all  the  other  Types! 
There  can  not  be  any  enjoyment,  or  any  other  point  which  corresponds 
with  so-called  modernity!  Well,  what  is  it  then,  that  he  is  meditating 
about?  He  is  undoubtedly  meditating  about  true  friendship,  which 
finally  results  in  nothing!     This  painfully  repeated  recognition  of  him- 

77 


self,  and  the  startling  reflection  of  a  wife  confronts  him!  Could  that 
be  understood  in  the  so-called  Western  Countries?  I  very  much  doubt 
it!  And  this  point  of  his  self-enforced  meditation  is  very  character- 
istic (and  not  at  all  mysterious).  We  could  write  a  very  thick  book 
on  this  curious  controversy,  but  who  knows  if  it  would  be  understood? 
As  to  my  point,  I  would  like  to  mention  few  words:  You  do  not  talk 
to  this  '*Slav"  Type  about  matrimonial  happiness,  because  he  knows 
better  than  any  one  the  fatality  of  the  propagation  of  any  species.  He 
is  wrapped  up  in  his  meditation,  which  commands  him  to  observe  the 
necessity  of  eternal  life  upon  this  globe,  and  he  knows  too:  that  he 
must  be  with  his  wife  the  creator  of  life! 

Such  thorough  Self-Study  can  not  be  found  in  any  books,  save 
Slavic's  and  then  only  in  those  written  by  excellent  psychologists!  It 
is  indeed  a  concentrated  cause  of  the  whole  and  best  investigated  psy- 
chology! Because  this  very  curious  ''Slav"  Type  cannot  articulately 
express  his  conclusions  but  still  is  forced  to  voice  them,  he  compiles  in 
his  language  the  most  wonderfully  molded  stories  (just  look  up  the 
Slavic's  literature!),  which  we  know  as — Mythology!  Is  that  saying 
too  much?  By  no  means,  because  we  know  very  well  that  the  Beauty 
of  the  Greek  Mythology  blinds  even  today  the  eyes  and  senses  of  the 
entire  human  race!  On  the  other  hand,  there  are  many  nations,  that 
are  so  terribly  blinded  with  this  Beauty,  that  they,  too,  tell  stories, — 
but  what  a  pitiful  contrast  in  purpose !  Imitation  is  an  attribute  de- 
generacy! Therefore  they  act  as  their  degeneracy  commands  them,  and 
instead  of  meditating  so  as  to  find  for  themselves  the  point  of  life's 
necessities,  they  start  to  amuse  each  other,  and  distract  from  the  main 
issue  of  life's  fundamental  decree  commanding  the  propagation  of  a 
right-kind  specie,  which  should  correspond  with  the  fatality  on  our 
globe :  which  is  strongly  influenced  from  the  planets  Mars  and  Saturn ! 
Intention  and  recognition  are  two  opposing  sides,  which  clash  in  a  ter- 
rible contest,  and  whoever  mixes  up  has  to  clash  with  the  surrounding 
elements:  There  is  sure  to  be  TRAGEDY!  No  nation  knows  how  to 
handle  so  wonderfully  the  Mythological  aspect  for  the  present  as  the 
Slavonic  races!  The  Slav  as  he  exists  with  his  traditional  teaching  is 
able  to  understand  his  surroundings  in  a  roundabout  way  through  Myth- 
ology, and  then  point  out  to  others  the  psychological  point.  His  sup- 
position of  correct  prophesy  marks  his  present!  The  positive  result 
for  us  is  that  the  cult  of  genius  by  this  "Slav"  Type  could  not  prog- 
ress very  well,  because  the  generally  recognized  God  was  put  character- 
istically by  Mythological  indication  to  be  endowed  with  human  feeble- 
ness, and  so  they  tore  down  the  genius  from  his  pedestal!  Therefore 
we  can  find  this  "Slav"  Type  had  quite  a  different  conception  of  the 
legal  God  than  any  other  nations!  Through  such  a  Self-acknowledge- 
ment as  the  transformation  of  Mythological  supposition  to  his  own  pres- 
ent, he  created  for  himself  an  invincible  melancholy,  from  which  pours 
an  endless  chaos!  That  is  the  real  psychological  point  we  were  looking 
for,  and  which  made  so  much  fear  among  the  other  nations,  that  they 
turned  from  meditation  to  amusement,  and  accordingly  away  from  the 

78 


real  necessity  of  life!  This  obvious  fact  only  Nietzsche  dared  to  in- 
vestigate, and  he  tried  to  clarify  it  through  detailed  explanation;  but 
he  had  to  choose  for  his  writing,  as  a  foundation,  the  Greek  culture! 
That  forced  him:  to  write  with  the  fragrance  of  the  rose!  But,  the 
longer  he  worked  at  his  very  peculiar  undertaking  of  magnificent  orna- 
mentation, the  more  he  was  forced  to  accommodate  himself  to  his  present, 
and  therefore  more  to  write  directly,  and  at  last  (as  it  could  be  ex- 
pected!) he  had  to  take  a  firm  stand  against  all  Mythology! 

To  be  just  in  his  intellectual  investigation  Nietzsche  was  forced  to 
bring  out  the  enternal  question  about  ''Wife  and  Child."  Under  no 
circumstances,  could  he  leave  out  or  overlook  that  important  point! 
But  now  comes  the  most  important  point  for  us:  How  did  Nietzsche 
feel,  when  he  was  forced  to  look  through  such  a  complicated  perspective 
at  his  present  society,  where  he  instantly  recognized  how  woman  had 
become  degraded  to  a  pitiful  being  through  the  ruling  power?  Yes,  he 
was  compelled  to  see  still  more  in  that  society,  namely:  that  the  hus- 
band, tco,  was  harnessed  on  the  same  scale  and  through  the  same  power, 
and  further  that  the  custom  slandered  him  for  his  meager  provision 
for  his  family!  Eeason  for  it:  To  tear  him  down  from  his  primitively 
ordained,  and  true  pedestal!  What  followed?  Custom  made  the  sin 
of  inheritance  the  whole  cause  of  slandering !  which  should  be  right  here 
and  now  punished  with  all  the  legally  provided  means !  It  made  no  dif- 
ference to  which  class  a  husband  belonged!  If  the  man  once  became 
complicated  in  the  matrimony,  then  he  could  calculate,  figuratively,  how 
he  would  finish  his  own  battle  against  such  an  alien  powerful  army  of 
custom!  Indeed,  Nietzsche  meant  that  no  man  could  ever  think  of  such 
a  continuous  battle  without  longing  for  freedom  or  at  least  longing  to 
establi;;h  in  his  own  family  the  ever-wished-for  true  friendship.  That  is 
what  he  saw  in  the  timely  matrimony — and  nothing  more!  Therefore 
he  decentralized  the  centralization  of  such  a  strong  custom,  and  ac- 
knowledged each  point  separately,  or  opposed  it  strongly!  Whoever 
has  eyes,  he  may  see:    There  is  no  religion  but  necessity! 

When  Nietzsche  called  attention  in  a  previous  division  to  the  free 
spirits  '•  actions  on  meeting  with  men,  so  he  told  here  how  they  will  get 
''Wife  and  Child!"  The  whole  case  is  clear  and  obvious.  How  the  one 
or  the  other  man  will  feel  occasionally,  is  another  important  point! 
Therefore  he  explored  the  most  choked  and  secret  corners  of  custom, 
and  explained  the  tremendous  struggle.  "There  was  no  doubt  on  his 
part ! "  He  claimed,  further,  that  the  eternal  beauty  of  a  woman  should 
never  influence  a  man  of  conscious  aim !  On  the  other  hand  the  purpose 
for  the  sex  connection  should  call  for  a  true  understanding  of  inner 
desires,  because  all  the  other  points  are  immaterial  and  do  not  need 
any  consideration.  Therefore  a  free  spirit  should  not  seek  amusement 
in  a  wife,  at  least  to  put  his  thoughts  before  hand  on  happiness  or  com- 
placency, because  all  these  points  are  very  strongly  in  opposition  to 
the  free  spirit.  He  is  bound  by  aspects  in  case  of  meeting  them — when 
it  comes  to  being  loved  by  a  woman.  Acknowledging  this,  the  free 
spirit  gains  a  broad  field,  where  lie  should  not  allow  any  disturbance 

79 


in  his  proceeding  of  scientific  investigation.  Firmness  will  mark  his 
future  road  and  he  can  avoid  deliberately  all  the  concentrated  power 
of  custom !  The  point  of  it  is,  should  he  act  differently,  then  the  above- 
mentioned  power  could  trick  him  so  that  he  never  could  repair  the  dam- 
age! That  is  the  sincere  conclusion  of  moral  condition  if  you  please: 
which  needs  always  and  forever  a  good,  true  and  brave  friendship! 

Nietzsche  took  difficult  task  into  consideration,  and  looked  for  such 
a  friendship,  because  it  is  the  inevitable  foundation  of  life.  Again,  we 
can  find  this  only  between  people  of  intelligence,  and  equal  morals,  but 
it  can  never  exist  between  legalized  people !  Most  certainly  this  regu- 
larity applies  to  woman,  too!  Here  is  light  on  the  experience,  and 
Nietzsche  is  neither  the  first,  nor  the  last  one,  wlio  pointed  at  it,  in  this 
way.  Milton  talked  of  the  same  thing  in  ** Paradise  Regained,"  hence 
Nietzsche's  experience  was  not  the  exception  but  the  rule!  Each  one 
of  us,  has  a  risky  story  at  his  hand  of  such  a  regularity !  What  is  the 
reason  that  the  whole  matter  of  this  gossiping  power  is  still  veiled  in 
mystery  like  the  deluge  of  Atlantis?  Where  is  the  heralded  and  de- 
claimed intelligence  of  modern  social  explorers?  From  them  we  learn 
pitiful  stories  of  our  young  men,  who  pay  first  big  sums  of  money  for 
their  sweethearts'  operation,  and  then  to  hide  the  girls'  destruction, 
marry  them,  and  boastfully  talk  about  their  matrimonial  happiness!. 
In  spite  of  such  a  well  calculated  intelligence  the  unavoidable  necessity 
of  sex  connection  thronged  upon  Nietzsche  the  man,  too,  but  the  very 
peculiar  question  was  faced  boldly  by  his  intelligence  which  continued 
plan  the  manner  in  which  his  personal  sex  connection  should  be  carried 
on!  He  could  not  accept  the  regular  form  of  the  legalized  opportune 
matrimony,  because  it  was  too  strongly  in  the  lime-light  of  social  cor- 
ruption. There  came  to  him  a  new  intelligence,  showing  that  the  whole 
basis  of  the  sex  question  should  be  builded  on  a  foundation  of  friend- 
ship— otherwise  the  connection  with  the  opposite  sex  will  prove  almost 
an  impossibility  I 

Nietzsche  longed,  as  a  common  man  longs,  for  freedom  from  this 
result  in  his  personal  condition.  One  more  question  came  to  him:  ''can 
he  follow  or  not  a  careful  measurement  in  the  present  condition  of  op- 
portune matrimony?"  This  question  unveiled  itself  to  him  only  after  a 
prolonged  investigation  in  such  a  manner  that  he  had  to  put  it  under 
a  doubt.  This  kind  of  observation,  taking  into  consideration,  conclusion, 
and  decision,  was  indeed  the  fundamental  part  of  his  own  self,  which 
longed  for  freedom!  Therefore  he  concluded  finally  that  a  man  never 
choses  two  roads  in  his  life  as  an  obligation!  Whoever  dictates  him- 
self to  freedom,  he  needs  a  road,  and  time  without  obstacle :  for  his  free 
progpress!  That  decision  strengthened  his  already  well  considered  con- 
clusion, and  he  firmly  decided  that  a  free  spirit  must  decide  to  go  alone 
through  this  life,  regardless  of  the  movement  or  the  persistent  calls  of 
nature  for  sex  connection!  As  foundation  for  this,  he  said  he  did  not 
want  to  have  an  agent  of  the  customary  power  around  him!  Here  is  no 
doubt,  that  this  opinion  was  far  too  advanced  for  most  of  the  free  spirits, 
because  the  strength  of  the  primitive  triumphed  over  them!     This  fact 


caused  Nietzsche  no  headache,  at  least  not  so  much  that  he  had  to  jerk 
his  shoulder!  He  became  through  his  marvelous  inquisitiveness  so  stub- 
born and  ambitious  that  he  had  to  hold  fast  to  his  result  until  he  over- 
pcwered  all  the  previous  saying  of  the  defenders  of  opportune  matri- 
mony. Nietzsche  never  could  be  satisfied  with  the  officially  declaimed 
decision  of  the  inaugurated  law  of  Ethics!  He  was  a  very  industrious 
man  in  inquisitiveness,  and  he  investigated  the  question  until  he  reached 
the  fundamental  basis  of  the  social  system. 

When  we  observe  carefully  the  different  men,  who  nursed  them- 
selves upon  the  mental  food  in  Nietzsche  *s  books,  we  can  see,  that  they 
enjoyed  very  much  the  result  about  the  teleological  monster  system !  But 
his  published  opinion  on  ''Wife  and  Child"  was  too  much  for  all  con- 
cerned. They  parted,  and  left  him  to  his  own  fate !  Furthermore,  they 
felt  no  further  responsibility  toward  him,  and  regarded  him  as  a  gloomy 
writer!  After  this  came  deliberate  silence.  Nevertheless,  that  could  not 
touch  him,  because  he  himself  wanted  a  conditional  proof  of  the  primi- 
tive point  of  life,  and  therefore  he  continued  his  well  selected  work  of 
inquisitiveness.  The  work  compiled,  the  time  became  short.  At  last 
came  the  impossible  of  finding  a  publisher!  But  even  that  did  not 
bother  him;  because  he  printed  what  he  could  pay  for  printing,  and  he 
welcomed  it  with  all  his  joyfulness;  and  what  he  could  not  print:  he 
left  in  his  drawer  for  future  purposes,  and  even  advised  the  free  spirits 
to  do  the  same  thing  over  again!  This  fact  kept  us,  too,  on  our  very 
meager  work!  And  so  we  are  publishing  a  short  sketch  of  him:  as  a 
sincere  dedication  to  our  brave  teacher!  What  was  good  for  Nietzsche 
could  not  harm  us ! .  Through  his  stubbornness  he  became  more  prosaic, 
and  therefore  more  resolute  in  Ethics.  He  counted  himself  a  member 
of  the  human  race,  and  as  such  he  did  not  want  to  be  an  outcast! — But 
explain  our  proceeding  when  we  start  this  writing,  so  as  to  talk  con- 
sciously on  the  primitiveness,  which  we  know  so  well,  we  want  to  say: 
Each  social  proceeding  of  the  human  race  in  its  continuous  evolution 
requires  for  its  establishment  some  centuries.  This  fact  became  a  melan- 
choly case  for  Nietzsche ;  but  after  longer  consideration  even  this  brought 
him  consolation!  Therefore  he  declined  to  serve  the  present  moment 
as  it  Ivas  officially  declaimed!  He  turned  like  a  sneak,  and  investigated 
the  cause  of  detailed  points.  Therefore  his  merciless  explanation  about 
the  customary  power, — and  just  how  this  power  undertook  woman's 
control !  Therefore  we  do  not  wonder  at  this  question :  '  *  When  woman 
surrenders  the  power  of  custom  to  what  can  she  cling  T'  That  is  for  us 
an  eloquence,  with  which  we  catch  science  upon  the  road  to  freedom! 
We  are  forced  to  look  back  into  history,  where  we  see  the  horrible  ac- 
tions of  the  wondrous  Oracle  which  knew  always  to  fight  murderously 
against  the  longings  of  freedom!  Even  though  centralized  custom 
strongly  repelled  his  explanation,  yet  it  came  forcfuUy  to  the  front,  and 
flooded  the  standard  opinion  of  literature!  This  deep  impression  no 
earthly  power  can  wipe  away.  On  the  other  hand,  our  society  was 
forced  to  read  his  writings,  so  as  to  find  the  right  solution  of  life's 
questions! 

81 


This  fact  is  indeed  obvious  today :  all  we  need  now  is  to  look  upon 
the  big  pile  of  writing,  which  has  been  published  all  over  the  world  for 
and  against  Nietzsche!  But  what  does  that  mean?  Are  these  writers 
merely  looking  for  fresh  air,  or  for  freedom?  Neither!  Well,  what  is 
the  point  then?  Can  it  be,  that  the  primitiveness  of  the  present,  which 
likes  always  to  impress  one  officially  that  it  represents  truth,  is  nervous 
about  the  fundamental  security  of  the  old  Ethics?  That  is  very  in- 
teresting and  it  reminds  us  of  the  restless  wanderer,  who  could  never 
find  a  resting  place!  But  how  could  we  wonder  at  this  when  we  know 
that  the  endless  and  tremendous  obstacles  are  only  the  embodiment  of 
the  centralized  power  of  custom!  The  free  spirit  has  no  business  in  the 
present  form  of  our  opportune  matrimony, — or  he  must  become  a  corrupt 
cross-spider  as  all  the  other  leaders  of  the  centralized  society!  There- 
fore he  has  to  move  on  forever,  so  that  the  steady  change  always  may 
bring  him  new  thoughts !  Even  that  was,  and  is  still  today,  too  strong, 
because  each  intellectual  longed,  and  longs  yet  for  social  fame:  which 
brings  POWER  and  WEALTH!  There  never  was  so  much  cheating  of 
the  intellectuals  as  there  now  is,  on  this  very  confusing  point,  because 
social  power  and  wealth  never  can  represent  the  individual  power  of 
thought!  Nietzsche  saw  the  big  and  restless  mentality,  which  always 
followed  its  own  indication  in  this  and  forever  opposed  the  centralized 
WILL!  His  view-point  became  clear,  that  primitiveness  must  be  fought 
to  the  end,  so  as  to  become  master !  From  this  already  had  resulted  his 
Antichrist ;  and  we  do  not  need  to  wait  for  his  last  book  to  find  out  what 
he  meant  with  his  Antichrist !  In  such  a  roundabout  way  he  finished  this 
very  interesting  division,  we  really  can  hope  for  the  next  connecting 
explanation  I 


XI. 

The  eighth  division  was  composed  of  **A  Glance  On  the  State."  That 
is  very  easy  to  understand,  and  therefore  we  are  not  surprised  at  what 
is  coming.  We  breathe  freely,  and  we  feel  refreshed  from  the  wonder- 
ful air,  which  indeed  looks  different — yes,  we  never  could  hope  for  such 
a  blue,  clear  air  1  Everything  is  entirely  changed,  and  every  black  cloud 
of  mistrust  is  gone  forever!  In  the  beginning  of  the  new  situation  we 
first  wonder,  then  try  to  understand  the  marvelous  capacity  and  the 
sharpness  of  such  an  intellect,  who  never  cared  to  hide  his  thoughts 
under  the  little  shadow  of  a  tallow  candle!  The  Greek  culture  became 
present:  The  Mythology  absolutely  clear!  That  is  the  most  exquisite 
Beauty  in  a  writing,  which  we  ever  could  imagine!  Now  we  feel  full 
of  confidence,  and  we  even  do  not  care  to  antagonize  the  opposition  to 
Nietzsche *s  writings!  Our  dandruff  has  disappeared,  and  we  feel  like 
a  fish  in  slimy  water!  The  whole  matter  of  the  primitive  power  of  cus- 
tom become  at  once  a  very  personal  question!  Now  we  know  how  to 
avoid  the  officially  put  up  nests!  Our  WILL  to  test  the  power  of 
thoughts  became  the  only  real  purpose  of  our  personal  life !  We  became 
a  sort  of  Renardt — the  fox,  and  we  turned,  and  acted  on  our  own  per- 

82 


sonal  decision,  without  receiving  orders  from  the  state  or  customary- 
power!  That  became  for  us  an  incomparable  victory!  Even  Nietzsche 
jumped  over  the  fence  of  prohibition,  and  forget  all  the  values  of  cen- 
tralized society!  With  such  a  colossal  jump  he  ask,  on  starting  for  per- 
mission to  say  (317)  : 

"The  dogmatic  disposition  and  the  intention  of  working  upon  the  masses 
is  at  present  common  to  all  political  parties;  on  this  account  they  are  all  obliged 
to  hange  their  principles  into  great  al  fresco  follies  and  thus  make  a  show  of 
them." 

Here  we  may  overlook  the  tricks  of  politeness,  because  it  can  help 
us  even  today!  We  have  the  same  chaos  of  politics  today,  as  there  has 
always  been.  No  matter  how  Nietzsche  distorted  his  views,  he  approached 
a  magnificent  forest,  where  he  carefully  observed  the  different  bugs,  to 
whose  buzzing  he  listened.  The  glory  of  his  conscience  demanded  peace- 
ful meditation  about  a  higher  culture,  and  therefore  we  are  going  to  do 
the  same  thing  over !  What  kind  of  a  comparison  do  you  think  he  made 
there  ?  He  compared  the  state  with  a  very  small  border  where  the  man 
moves  around  headless!  That  was  too  much  for  the  step-children!  Is 
this  indication  clear?  No!  Very  well!  The  human  race  is  divided  into 
two  very  combatant  war  camps!  The  point?  A  new  tragedy  is  inevita- 
ble! We  are  now  wondering  on  what  a  proposition  Nietzsche  found 
such  a  view-point?  But  on  the  other  hand  we  know  that  he  started  to 
write  this  very  book  with  such  a  modification!  Furthermore,  with  the 
parting  of  Wagner's  friendship  his  thoughts  became  still  sharper,  and 
who  knows,  perhaps,  harsher,  too!  He  saw  only  free  spirits,  to  whom 
he  dedicated  his  book,  but  at  the  same  time  he  acknowledged  the  neces- 
sity of  warning  them,  and  so  he  wrote  only  for  them!  There  will  be  a 
sure  change  in  the  evolutionary  movements  when  that  point  is  fully 
understood ! 

So  long  Nietzsche  lived,  nobody  dared  to  approach  him,  therefore  the 
critic  could  not  come,  and  in  that  silence  he  remained  alone !  As  soon  as 
he  disappeared  some  writers  dared  to  put  Nietzsche's  opinions  under  a 
perspective.  But  free  spirits  to  whom  he  really  talked,  did  not  report! 
Some  writers  tried  to  defend  their  social  position  against  Nietzsche's 
opinion,  but  failed  to  reach  the  mark.  When  Herr  Johannes  Schlaf, 
another  defender  of  the  teleological  system,  wrote  at  the  end  of  this 
division,  *'How  tragical!  How  tragical!"  we  better  understand  how 
Nietzsche's  written  influence  became  a  new  tragedy  indeed.  No  matter 
how  the  future  officials  of  the  teleological  system  saw  the  new  tragedy, 
they  still  gnashed  their  teeth,  and  denied  most  artistically  such  a  thing 
as  new  tragedy.  They  worked  marvelously  before  the  multitude,  so  as 
to  hide  the  inevitable  rupture,  and  the  tremendous  clash  of  all  the  exist- 
ing governments !  Nietzsche 's  point  in  this  regard  was  to  call  the  atten- 
tion of  the  free  spirits  to  this  perverted  conscience,  and  they  should 
regulate  their  sleepy  belief  with  a  strong  preparation  for  a  very  hard 
battle!  The  reason  being  the  centralized  society  still  expects  from 
educated  men  the  fundamental  support, — and  woe  to  him  who  dares  to 
come  with  sharp  criticism  against  the  rulers!    This  is  no  exaggeration, 


because  we  need  only  to  turn  some  leaves  in  the  book  of  Herr  Johannes 
Schlaf ,  and  read  how  he  handled  our  beloved  Nietzsche : 

"When  Bebel  would  give  us  such  things  for  our  amusement,  we  would  let 
It  go,  but  in  Nietzsche's  mouth  it  is  hardly  believable!" 

That  is  enough  for  us,  because  we  can  see  that  the  central  Might 
knows  how  to  arrange  its  pillars  for  the  support  of  the  impressive  system : 
Might  is  Right !  But  Nietzsche  knew  this  point,  too,  therefore  he  wanted 
to  indemnify  himself  against  it,  and  declined  publicly  to  be  a  supporter 
of  centralization,  or  a  loyal  servant  of  a  state!  That  point  is  obvious 
enough  for  us,  to  see  plainly  why  he  wrote  for  the  free  spirits,  and  not 
for  the  servants  of  the  state !  He  knew  only  too  well  how  to  throw  away 
his  primitive  thoughts  of  state, — and  believe  me :  Only  in  such  an  emer- 
gency, he  could  go  into  a  beautiful  forest  where  he  indeed  breathed 
freely!  That  was  the  primitive  view-point  of  our  already  introduced 
lofty  boy,  Dionysos,  who  wanted  to  live  his  own  life  freely  and  without 
any  interruption  from  a  central  power!  Nietzsche  had  not  here  changed 
a  point  from  his  first  book,  and  we  are  wondering  how  it  was  possible 
that  such  a  well  educated  man  as  Herr  Johannes  Schlaf  changed  his 
view-point  about  Nietzsche  when  he  wrote  in  the  beginning  of  Ms  book, 
page  17 : 

"Nietzsche  did  not  cheat  himself,  whatever  he  intended  to  write  down.  He 
put  the  whole  state  with  all  its  designation  against  the  determination  of  the 
individuality,  which  must  subjugate  itself  without  murmur  'to  the  sharpest  knives 
of  operation  of  Patria  Amo's  honor:' — 'either  something  dishonorable  or  a  sign  of 
being  behind  the  times!'  (The  half  sentence  after  the  colon  was  taken  from 
Nietzsche's  article  442  on  page  320-2,  which  reads  in  its  full  compilation;  'At 
present,  when  quite  other  and  higher  tasks  are  assigned  than  patria  and  honor, 
the  rough  patriotism  is  either  something  dishonorable  or  a  sign  of  being  behind 
the  times!')" 

With  such  an  utterance  Nietzsche  washed  his  hands  of  patriotism, 
and  when  anyone  claims,  even  today,  that  he  intended  to  elevate  the  pol- 
itics of  the  German's  state,  he  is  very  much  mistaken,  and  such  a 
claimant  does  not  know  how  to  understand  what  he  reads!  The  funda- 
mental part  of  Nietzsche 's  intention  and  the  point  made  in  his  writing  are 
very  obvious,  because  he  never  wanted  to  be  more  or  less  than  a  human 
being,  who  is  ** human — all  too  human."  That  was  the  title  of  his  book, 
and  it  signifies  everything  necessary  in  a  literary  explanation.  As  such 
a  simple  man  he  wanted  stubbornly  to  preserve  his  unimpeachable  Indi- 
viduality !  This  assertion  is  only  ordained  for  courageous  men  who  want 
to  he  free  right  now,  regardless  of  all  the  officially  existing  obstacles! 
From  such  an  indicated  and  well  meant  explanation,  we,  the  self-chosen 
and  rightful  heirs  of  Nietzsche's  doctrine,  received  a  magnificent  hint, 
which  we  understood  positively!  Furthermore,  we  knew,  likewise,  that 
Nietzsche  never  was  so  foolish  as  to  rush  madly  into  the  state  nets  or 
the  penitentiary !  He  was  far  from  being  a  fatalist,  and  not  so  malicious 
as  to  believe  in  the  crow^n  of  a  martyr !  Once  more  we  want  to  repeat : 
"What  was  good  for  him,  cannot  be  wrong  for  us!"  Therefore  we  feel 
very  joyful  when  we  read,  on  page  321 : 

"Our  social  order  will  slowly  melt  away,  as  all  former  orders  have  done,  as 
soon  as  the  sun  of  new  opinions  has  shone  upon  mankind  with  a  new  glow.    We 

84 


can  only  wish  this  melting  away  in  the  hope  thereof,  and  we  are  only  reasonably 
entitled  to  hope  when  we  believe  that  we  and  our  equals  have  more  strength  in 
heart  and  head  than  the  representative  of  the  existing  state  of  things.  As  a 
rule,  therefore,  this  hope  will  be  a  prsumption,  an  over-estimation." 

That  is  not  exaggerated,  or  at  least  not  underestimated.  He  knew 
how  to  find  the  right  expression  for  his  thoughts,  and  he  greeted  the 
struggle  as  the  means  for  his  purpose,  which  had  its  worktag  and  its 
wintry  time !  Amid  such  a  preparation  for  a  wintry  recreation,  Nietzsche 
turned  a  magnificent  search-light  upon  that  well  known  head-artist  of 
state  affairs — Chancellor  Von  Bismarck!  With  this  energetic  examina- 
tion of  this  much  declaimed  statesman,  he  wanted  to  prove  the  well 
conscious  disregard  of  the  state,  and  he  corroborated  this  point  with  the 
Might  of  the  state,  but  never  with  the  Right  of  suffering  humanity !  Then 
he  burst  out,  on  page  323 : 

"Socialism  acquires  a  right  only  if  war  seems  to  have  taken  place  between 
the  two  powers,  the  representatives  of  the  old  and  the  new,  when  however,  a 
wise  calculation  of  the  greatest  possible  preservation  and  advantageousness  to 
both  sides  gives  rise  to  a  desire  for  a  treaty.  Without  treaty  no  right.  So  far, 
however,  there  is  neither  war  nor  treaty  on  the  ground  in  question  therefore  no 
rights,  no  'ought.' " 

This  is  obvious,  and  the  men  of  the  changeable  thoughts,  who  still 
glorify  the  road  of  the  politicians,  may  take  a  good  dose  of  it  for  their 
incurable  mental  disease !  It  is  very  easy  to  notice  what  Nietzsche  meant : 
The  war  should  follow  against  the  state,  and  not  between  the  states, 
because  the  subjects  of  the  state  want  freedom,  and  can  reach  it  only 
on  the  above  mentioned  proposition!  How  could  we  underestimate  this 
point?  From  it  we  can  teach  ourselves:  what  the  state  is,  and  what 
Humanity  means  for  us !  Oh !  believe  me,  my  friends,  he  knew  too  well 
his  lesson  in  psychology,  and  we  have  no  cause  to  question  his  sincere 
warning  to  the  free  spirits!  He  warned  them  only  about  further  non- 
sense in  dealing  with  the  state,  and  thus  avoid  the  merciless  persecution ! 
With  such  a  well  directed  hint  he  wanted  to  give  a  new  aim,  and  with 
this  goal  a  new  tactic  in  warfare  to  his  friends :  the  combatants  of  free- 
dom! There  is  no  doubt,  because  we  sniffed  the  fragrance  in  tlie  last 
war,  which  never  seems  to  end  1  At  last,  should  this  colossal  uplift  hap- 
pen against  the  state,  then  we  would  reach  an  evolution  greater  than  we 
have  even  imagined  I  But  once  more  human  blood  flowed  in  a  big  stream ! 
Just  think,  what  Nietzsche  intended  to  say!  Or  is  there  any  misunder- 
standing of  his  writing?  AVhen  Joseph,  the  brother  of  the  great  Napo- 
leon, knew  at  that  time,  ''Only  a  fool  remains  in  his  falsified  condition. 
In  my  forty  years  of  life  I  learned  almost  nothing  but  what  I  knew  on 
the  starting  of  it,  namely,  everything  is  vanity,  except  a  good  conscience 
and  self-respect''  (a  letter  to  Napoleon  from  2.19,  1809) ;  then  why  should 
not  Nietzsche  know  the  point  he  was  striving  for?  In  the  tactics  of  the 
struggle  of  humanity  against  the  state,  Nietzsche  put  a  heavy  weight  into 
the  state-scale,  and  only  for  one  reason, — the  indescribable  dishonesty  of 
the  state  against  the  individual  whom  it  uses  up  as  scape-goat!  At  the 
same  time  he  illuminated  the  money-man  as  the  real  representative  of  the 
state,  and  again  for  only  one  reason:  Because  this  modern  aristocrat 
uses  the  most  publicity  for  his  private  purposes  against  Humanity!    It 

85 


is  clearly  to  be  seen  that  this  money-man  has  always  the  party  and  the 
state-power  behind  himself;  so  as  to  fight  through  the  most  bitter  war 
against  Humanity?  This  view  was  never  acknowledged  by  the  modern 
reformers,  even  though  some  of  them  were  radicals !  These  gentlemen  of 
the  pretended  opposing  party  always  denied  such  assertions,  and  as  such 
they  did  not  want  to  come  into  the  lime-light  of  suspicion !  That  was  the 
real  cause  why  they  left  Nietzsche's  warning  on  the  side-track,  went 
boastfully  ahead,  and  declined  the  ornamentation  of  his  writing  for  their 
purpose!  That  was  even  the  fundamental  cause  of  their  endless  and 
deliberate  blindness,  so  as  not  to  be  forced  to  see  the  roughness  or  the 
dishonesty  in  the  best  propagated  press!  The  energetic  attack  is  made 
obvious,  and  the  aim  of  the  state  made  very  clear.  Just  look  up,  on  page 
325,  for  consolation : 

"To  draw  such  a  distinction  between  Government  and  people  as  if  two 
separate  spheres  of  power,  a  stronger  and  higher,  and  a  weaker  and  lower,  nego- 
tiated and  came  to  terms  with  each  other,  is  a  remnant  of  transmitted  political 
sentiment,  which  still  accurately  represents  the  historic  establishment  of  the 
condition  of  power  in  most  States." 

To  make  his  point  still  better  and  clearer,  Nietzsche  pointed  out  the 
deliberation  of  the  state  political  body  proposed  always  the  greatest 
interest  for  the  neighboring  state,  in  order  to  spy  around  the  people's 
conscience,  and  confessions,  to  poke  fun  at  them,  and  just  as  it  is  oppor- 
tune, to  elevate  toward  Heaven,  or  to  calumniate  them, — but  fundamen- 
tally the  whole  proceeding  serves  the  purpose  of  the  government,  and  its 
power.  Nietzsche  was  not  a  fool.  He  knew  too  well  who  rocks  the  mul- 
titude of  any  state,  therefore  he  wrote  for  free  spirits,  as  a  warning 
against  any  political  conflagration  I  Can  you  imagine  the  point?  No! 
Well,  what  do  you  think  Victor  Hugo  meant  when  he  pointed  to  the 
gallows  as  a  means  of  discovering  an  honest  man?  Another  puzzle! 
Well,  let  us  proceed :  With  such  a  well  defined  illusion  of  their  constitu- 
tional tactics  nations  sprung  up,  claimed  the  right  to  pillage,  declaimed 
their  *' honesty,"  but  the  human  part  was  forgotten  entirely!  Nobody 
wanted  to  take  that  peculiar  point  upon  his  own  responsibility  in 
Nietzsche *s  time,  and  so  stands  the  point  today!  Most  of  the  gentlemen 
of  officialdom  thought  over  first  to  be  a  human  man,  because  it 
sounded  too  cynical;  besides  the  lonesome  loafing  upon  the  road  of  an 
exile  was  so  horribly  near,  w^hich  fright  served  the  well  supplied  fruit 
for  the  state !  That  was  too  much  for  Nietzsche 's  contemporary  friends, 
but  he  added :  A  man  is  changed  in  a  second  to  a  strolling  gypsy, — and 
this  fright  again  found  a  too  happy  home-sweet-home  in  the  gentlemen's 
most  silent  thoughts,  which  were  guarded  with  their  whole  life's  power 
before  escape, — and  most  certainly  the  case  applied  still  more  to  the 
academicians,  because  they  knew  how  hard  it  was  to  find  a  well  prepared 
artistic  home  in  a  foreign  land;  and  so  this  lovely  world  of  ours  seemed 
to  them  ash-colored!  That  is  not  surprising  to  us,  as  we  know  that  the 
academicians  acted  very  modestly  toward  Nietzsche.  On  the  other  hand, 
we  were  in  some  way  * 'fearless,"  if  you  please,  and  we  "run  out"  into 
the  world  to  satisfy  and  pacify  our  curiosity  in  this  line!  No  matter 
why  and  how  we  went,  we  are  sure  of  what  we  found  all  over  the  globe : 

86 


There  we  saw,  in  many  corners,  the  brave  men  of  old  times  battles,  who 
nursed  their  scanty  existence  with  the  most  common  labor,  and  in  their 
free  times  they  cracked  the  hardest  nuts  of  their  destiny,  and  at  last 
they  took  few  kernels  of  the  best  smelling  quality  of  incense  and  put 
it  on  nicely  reddened  charcoal,  and  glorified  their  present  ruling  power ! 

What  Nietzsche  intended  to  reach  in  every  line  of  life  with  his  many 
abrupt  jumps  is  clear  to  us:  he  undoubtedly  wanted  fresh  air,  and  a 
clearance  of  primitive  perceptions,  so  as  to  reach  on  such  a  roundabout 
road  his  own  honorable  individuality!  The  statesman,  the  prince,  the 
God  were  to  him  too  complicated  with  a  covering  of  rough  primitive 
falsehood;  but  on  the  other  hand  he  did  not  care  to  mingle  with  the 
Rebels,  because  they  were  too  much  of  the  slums  crowd!  Therefore  he 
often  became  real  angry,  and  turned  abruptly  against  the  **  Romantic 
School"  and  hallooed:  '^Ecrasez  infame"!  That  is  easy  to  understand, 
because  we  know  his  resources, — but  we  knovv^,  too,  that  Voltaire  was 
sleeping  in  the  Bastille!  No  matter  what  we  find  in  the  proceeding  of 
our  investigation,  we  pass  by  such  an  indicated  point,  or  at  least  we  want 
to  scratch  our  dandrufless  head  and  ask :  '  *  Who  was  the  instigator  of  the 
great  French  revolution?"  No  doubt :  That  revolution  had  to  come,  even 
as  many  others  will  follow !  Here  we  may  even  prophesy  that  there  will 
come  such  a  great  revolution  that  the  official  investigators  may  grow 
white-haired  wondering  who  were  the  instigators  of  it: — ^but  they  will 
be  forced  through  mysterious  hands  to  signify  the  impossibility  of  the 
modem  arranged  states !  Parallel  with  this  prophecy  and  the  historical 
facts,  we  must  have  at  our  hands  a  positive  result :  Napoleon  could  never 
have  shown  himself  great  without  the  great  revolution ! !  I  And  last  but 
not  least,  our  beloved  Nietzsche  never  could  have  come  so  drastically 
sharp  and  secure  without  the  influence  of  Voltaire  and  Napoleon!  Our 
opinions  are  greatly  confused,  and  we  never  would  point  that  way  if  we 
would  not  be  sure  about  the  endless,  great,  and  well  hidden  Might  of 
Rome,  which  always  wanted  to  banish  all  human  longings  for  higher 
culture !  What  remains,  then,  to  be  wondered  at  ?  Somebody,  somehow, 
somewhere,  had  to  start  the  wheel  of  Evolution!  The  state  stagnation, 
as  an  obstacle  of  human  evolution,  had  to  stop  once  upon  a  time!  In 
spite  of  the  historical  facts,  the  epidemical  episodes  are  still  very  fresh 
in  our  memories  and  not  easily  forgotten.  Only  with  this  characteristic 
stipulation  the  air  of  the  primitive  forceful  conceptions  becomes  clarified ! 
This  fact  became  plain  to  us;  our  enlightenment  results;  we  can  see,  or 
must  see,  the  further  development  of  our  present  chaos!  The  wonder- 
fully written  word  in  poesy  and  prosa  of  Nietzsche,  which  lashed  with 
the  utmost  sharpness  the  have-to-go  monster  system  made  us  feel  very 
confident,  and  so  his  books  became  a  great  necessity  for  us!  We  lived 
our  daily  life  following  his  well  indicated  directions, — and  progressed 
excellently !  This  acknowledgment  sustained  our  trust  from  year  to  year, 
and  at  last  we  discovered  something  that  we  never  had  imagined :  Neither 
Schopenhauer  nor  Nietzsche  could  be  brought  before  the  Court  of  Jus- 
tice! Yet,  their  books  are  broadcast  in  all  our  libraries — even  for  the 
social  outcasts!     This  not-to-be-denied  fact  we  always  honored  because 

87 


we  knew  that  individuals  all  over  our  globe  built  up  the  power  of 
thoughts ;  in  the  meantime  the  rough  fury  of  the  statesman  slept  securely, 
and  so  thirsted  for  its  victims, — but  at  last  it  grew  fainter  and  cannot 
now  recover  from  its  terrible  "FLU"!  The  circumferential  hushing  of 
the  multitude  while  waiting  of  the  explained  power  of  thought  was  more 
certain  than  the  result  of  a  carefully  written  book  itself!  What  is  the 
point?  The  statesmen  of  darkest  Russia  (if  you  please)  thought  it  over 
first  before  they  transported  a  philosopher  like  Tolstoy  to  Siberia  because 
of  the  edict  of  the  legally  administered  command !  Each  time  they  were 
ready  for  the  exiling  of  the  old  philosopher  they  had  to  stop  and  ask 
their  ovra  crafty  conscience:  "But,  what  will  the  world  say  to  our  ac- 
tions?" These  shrewd  statesmen  of  darkest  Russia,  who  had  the  most 
free  privileges  for  investigating  their  subjects,  at  once  acknowledged 
that  they  could  not  handle  every  subject  alike!  The  same  case  applied 
in  other  states;  the  modern  philosophers  with  their  emphatic  opinions 
opened  a  new  road  for  the  individual;  he  received  his  right  of  action! 
Not  entirely  free  action,  but  the  writings  of  the  modern  philosophers 
became  a  positive  fact  in  the  exposition  of  psychology,  which  received  a 
hearing,  was  acknowledged  and  respected  by  the  authorities  of  modern 
states !  Nevertheless,  in  spite  of  the  fact  that  the  power  of  custom  is 
in  preponderance,  we  are  not  mad  over  this  tremendous  movement 
against  our  general  custom,  because  we  know  the  human  weakness  has 
always  been  used  for  a  profitable  prejudice.  Just  because  we  know  that, 
we  are  reviewing  the  writings  which  explore  the  feebleness  of  our  con- 
temporary friends.  When  we  read  today  in  an  editorial  of  our  big  news- 
paper, **What  good  does  it  do  to  tell  your  most  intimate  secrets?  If  you 
enjoy  the  respect  and  confidence  of  others,  keep  them  relying  on  you  by 
living  up  to  the  standard  they  have  shown  they  think  you  represent," 
then  we  again  take  a  stand  against  the  weakness  of  our  most  educated 
men.  This  is  a  real  point,  which  we  have  to  clear  up  in  order  to  under- 
stand the  customs  or  habits  which  undermine  our  collective  life.  There- 
fore such  philosophers  as  Tolstoy,  Nietzsche,  and  others,  came  to  the 
front.  There  are  still  some  states  which  destroy  every  road  open  for 
the  development  of  philosophers,  but  even  these  states  must  acknowledge 
the  existence  of  a  philosopher,  and  that  is  very  encouraging.  Nietzsche 
was,  and  is  still,  a  well  marked  target  for  the  politicians,  nevertheless 
he  knew  how  to  preserve  his  individuality  as  a  good  seed  for  tlie  future ! 

His  writings  are  obtainable  and  they  speak  forcibly  to  those  men 
who  long  for  the  power  of  expressing  thoughts.  Are  we,  therefore, 
happy?  Yes,  and  we  even  emphasize  the  answer!  And  when  Nietzsche 
gave  his  views  of  the  state,  cannot  we  keep  them  in  our  perspective? 
We  are  patient,  and  listen :  He  pointed  out  why  the  state  must  keep  the 
church  institution  in  legal  order.  He  meant  that  the  statesman  inherits 
the  necessity  of  governing  ecclesiastical  institutions,  because  every  states- 
man knows  that  there  is  no  better  institution  than  the  church  for  prepar- 
ing good  medicine  for  hush-work !  Right  here  he  pointed  out  the  truth 
that  the  great  Napoleon  also  knew  that  he  could  do  nothing  "legiti- 

88 


mately"  without  the  help  of  the  church!    Here,  again,  he  said,  the  move- 
ment  of  the  free  spirits  became  its  fundamental  base! 

I  Let  us  look  for  a  moment  into  history.  Voltaire,  and  even  his  great 
I  admirers,  * '  The  Jacobins, ' '  knew  that  point,  too ;  but  the  custom  of  burn- 
!  ing  the  best  written  books  must  be  slowly  but  surely  wiped  out!  Eyo- 
I  lution  takes  more  time  than  an  absurd  proclamation  of  a  world-wide 
I  war !  And  only  evolution,  if  you  please,  will  be  able  to  clarify  the  cause 
of  such  an  abrupt  declaration  of  war!  Now  that  we  are  just  a  little 
more  frank  with  our  opinion  in  our  interpretation  of  Nietzsche's  writing, 
we  dare  to  claim  that  the  customary  preponderance  of  democratic  meas- 
ures gained  a  tremendous  victory,  namely,  the  modern  movement  of  the 
democratic  statesmen  went  so  far  as  to  glorify  the  church-institution  as 
the  people's  WILL,  and  even  declaimed  legally  as  a  private  matter!  Just 
let  us  look  behind  this  great  victory :  It  is  a  fact,  it  works  most  orderly, 
but  we  see  how  the  different  sects  throw  their  principles  higher  and 
higher,  still  declaiming  strongly  to  be  the  carriers  of  democratic  princi- 
ples, but  only  for  one  reason:  to  grasp  as  quickly  as  possible  the  power 
of  politics  in  their  hands;  then  woe  to  him  who  dares  to  say  one  word 
against  such  a  custom  or  rule ! ! !  We  understand  Nietzsche  perfectly,  and 
we  regard  his  statements  with  interest,  because  we  can  see  from  them 
how  the  political  case  of  a  state  always  squirms  itself  more  strongly  into 
the  metaphysical  atmosphere, — ^which  always  emanates  from  Rome !  The 
most  interesting  point  in  the  w^hole  proceeding  is:  That  even  the  most 
modern  political  movement  uses  the  same  tactics  for  gaining  the  power 
of  state!  Shall  we  turn  at  this  point  and  talk  about  a  well  arranged 
Devil's  dance?  We  have  no  such  an  Idee!  On  the  other  hand,  we  know 
that  so  long  as  a  tricky  intention  hidden  behind  the  curtain,  just  so  long 
the  conscious  individuality  has  to  keep  quiet,  and  wait  patiently  for  a 
riper  time!  We  do  not  need  to  shake  the  tree:  The  fruit  falls  when  it 
is  ripe, — that  is  evolution :  if  you  please !  Nietzsche  called  the  attention 
of  the  free  spirits  to  the  fact  that  they  should  be  on  their  guard,  and  not 
wastefully  throw  away  their  conquered  power  of  thoughts  to  a  pernicious 
custom  which  wanted  to  renew  the  old  ruling!  Here  he  then  deliberated 
a  moment,  and  thought  out,  figuratively,  that  his  expression  was  too  pon- 
derous for  the  contemporary  intelligence,  and  for  to  avoid  a  complete 
rupture  he  jumped  to  the  next  elevation  like  the  joyful  Dionysos, — which 
trick  we  interpret  into  a  plain  language:  In  his  book  he  was  strolling 
once  more  upon  the  road  of  exile !  We  know  too  well  his  purpose !  His 
explanation  showed  us  that,  and  it  will  teach  us  (forever)  how  far  the 
customary  power  of  a  state  can  go  against  a  conscious  individuality! 
There  is  nothing  to  be  misunderstood !  While  the  whole  case  of  political 
control  is  tragical,  yet  we  have  no  power  at  present  to  resist  it!  We 
understand  why  Tolstoy  became  a  non-resistant  philosopher.  In  spite 
of  the  incontrovertible  evidence  of  the  historical  deeds,  as  well  as  our 
present  facts,  we  cannot  go  back  to  Rabelais '  time,  and  therefore  we  must 
go  ahead!  We  need  this  for  the  psychology  of  our  present  lives,  and  so 
needs  the  whole  human  race !  We  must  go  on  the  traveled  road,  and  ac- 
knowledge the  value  of  a  philosopher,  no  matter  where  he  lived,  or  in 

89 


what  a  language  he  wrote  his  view-points !  As  psychologists  we  must  go 
ahead,  and  concede  the  psychological  facts!  Why?  For  the  necessity 
of  the  human  race !  Should  it  prove  to  us  that  we  cannot  build  up  our 
existence  with  our  eloquence,  well  and  good,  we  will  go  ahead,  even 
though  we  have  to  live  through  frightful  tragedy !  Can  we  dare  to  write 
a  point?  Happy  the  man  who  can  feel  joyful  as  an  outcast  between  the 
outcasts!  This  saying  of  ours,  haunted  Nietzsche's  thoughts  too  many 
times,  but :  The  necessary  firmness  came  to  him  to  enable  him  to  live  on 
an  unavoidable  road!  That  is  the  road  of  an  outcast!  He  wrote  very 
much  about  the  wanderers,  whom  he  liked  very  much  in  his  imagination, 
but  never  as  a  naked  reality !  Oh !  friends !  how  well  we  can  see  all  these 
points  in  his  writing !  At  last,  dear  friends,  the  lonesomeness  is  tragical 
yes, — ^because  the  man  is  there  forced  to  live  on  herbs ! ! !  That  point  we 
should  not  overlook ;  we  should  always  keep  our  eyes  open  when  we  ap- 
proach such  a  situation,  still  more  be  on  our  guard  when  we  see  the  many 
individuals  who  live  an  ''independent"  Ufe! 

The  great  vision  that  gave  Nietzsche  so  much  material  from  which 
to  write  on  state  affairs  made  him  very  restless  on  a  beautiful  morning; 
he  even  became  angry,  and  at  last  he  hallooed:  ''So  little  of  a  state 
as  possivle!'*  Should  we  wonder  at  this?  Not  at  all!  But  when  we 
follow  his  recollections  of  the  wanderer's  conceptions,  where  he  lay  ex- 
hausted on  a  lonesome  road,  and  momentarily  perceived  in  himself  a 
feeling  of  horrible  vandalism,  we  ask:  "From  where  could  he  perceive 
such  a  feeling?"  The  short  article,  "War  Indispensable"  (349),  makes 
us  aghast.  Should  a  war  against  the  state  be  an  unavoidable  enjoyment? 
That  even  amuses  us !  The  new  tragedy  becomes  delightful !  It  compels 
meditation,  and  in  a  moment  we  see  a  new  star.  Society  cannot  recon- 
struct itself  until  after  a  complete  destruction  harassing  conditions !  The 
higher  culture  can  begin  its  work  when  state  is  gone !  That  gives  us 
enlightenment  and  hope  for  to  reach  the  aim:  No  State!  We  have  no 
doubt  of  this,  because  upon  the  long  road  of  eternity  everything  is 
possible ! 


XII. 

The  ninth  division  was  called:  "Man  Alone  by  Himself."  What 
a  wonderful  arrangement  of  thoughts  in  compiling  a  book !  Here  we  re- 
member momentarily  the  book,  "Ego  and  His  Own,"  by  Max  Stirner. 
Equally  to  his  book,  only  in  different  form  and  detail,  Nietzsche  cleared 
away  theoretically  the  fearful  obstacles  against  the  progress  of  psycho- 
logical as  well  as  biological  investigation.  Only  the  individual  man  re- 
mained to  take  a  responsible  action !  Here  he  stands  alone,  aghast,  almost 
petrified  I  ' '  AVhich  way  ? "  he  asks.  ' '  Ahead,  or  back  ? "  As  an  individ- 
ual, the  man  has  to  decide  for  himself  the  future  road  upon  which  he 
has  to  travel!  Nietzsche  never  became  tired  of  this  opinion !  No  matter 
how  the  representatives  of  the  teleological  system  mixed  together  the 
different  opinions  in  order  to  claim  these  important  points  for  themselves, 

90 


he  abruptly  changed  his  opinion  concerning  the  system's  maxims,  and 
claimed :  That  a  man  in  his  short  life  can  investigate  nothing  righteously 
until  he  has  full  knowledge  of  himself!  Then  followed  another  require- 
ment :  That  the  man  needs  enormous  time  to  spend  in  industrial  work,  if 
he  ever  wishes  to  investigate  freely  the  difficulty  of  an  old  and  outlived 
system.  Therefore,  the  man  who  longs  for  true  investigation  may  not 
lay  down  and  rest  in  lazy  complacency.  The  devotion  to  simple  necessi- 
ties of  life  and  the  aimless  social  calls  which  usually  rob  one  of  two- 
thirds  of  a  day,  must  be  put  then  under  proper  perspective,  so  as  to 
catch  the  right  clearance  for  himself.  The  last  stand  is  not  of  much 
account,  and  the  first  two  points  preponderated  in  his  view-point.  He 
did  not  force  himself  to  this  conclusion,  and  therefore  his  proceeding 
became  an  easy  matter!  When  we  investigate  carefully  the  firmness  of 
his  tactic,  and  compare  our  social  classification  to  his,  then  we  ask  only 
one  question :  * '  What  could  frighten  us  in  the  face  of  such  firmness,  and 
tactics?"  His  fearless  enlistment  in  the  difficult  and  prolonged  investi- 
gation of  these  problems  was  accounted  for  only  to  few  men,  whom  he 
called  free  spirits.  Who  will  now  dare  to  be  one  of  them?  It  was  one 
and  the  same  thing  to  him  who  the  man  was,  but  he  knew  the  difficult 
tasks  through  which  every  man  has  to  go  to  reach  his  aim!  Further- 
more, he  knew  how  the  human  race  always  depended  on  an  individual 
thinker  I  This  point  should  never  be  neglected  by  men  who  seek  a  new 
system !  The  following  very  interesting  point  is  obvious :  The  big  per- 
formance of  crooked  and  secret  diplomacy  can  easily  be  accounted  for, 
with  the  preponderant  mass  of  people,  but  in  the  first  line  the  account 
comes  to  the  self-armed,  iron-willed  individuals,  who  were  pushed  ahead 
into  such  a  dangerous  position,  where  they  could  be  easily  crushed  with- 
out a  big  scandal!  Here  we  must  remember  as  a  historical  fact  that  the 
whole  history  runs  passionately  with  murderous  tools  behind  the  indi- 
viduals— and  yet,  the  long  road  of  that  murderous  hunting  remained 
full  of  gallows,  stakes,  penitentiaries,  and  other  many  signs  of  fright- 
fulness  ! 

From  this  must  be  seen  the  fundamental  fact  of  the  education 
through  the  state.  This  education  must  have  unavoidably  uf^ed  as  a 
base  for  the  education  of  the  population  in  groups ;  these,  again,  should 
be  inflamed  with  manifold  pamphlets  and  simply  written  books ;  but  only 
in  accordance  with  the  command  of  the  statesman  who  frequently  pro- 
hibits the  freedom  to  the  individual  in  a  direct  way,  endeavoring  to 
keep  back  the  effort  to  gain  the  high  step  of  knowledge  of  one's  self! 
The  population  became  party  and  nation's  defenders  only  through  such 
diplomatic  tricks ;  but  never  independent  man !  Nietzsche  meant  to  show 
that  as  the  cause  of  our  indescribable  failure  to  attain  a  great  person- 
ality! The  population  were  forced  with  power  and  command  from  a 
party  or  government  to  speechless  order,  and  when  the  right  time  came 
in  the  well  prepared  and  deliberate  purposes  of  the  state,  the  masses 
were  inflamed  for  hallowing:  "Hurrah!"  In  the  meantime,  should  it 
happen  that  some  individuals  jumped  the  prohibited  fence,  then  the  gov- 
ernment, which  felt  threatened  in  its  ruling  part,  knew  how  to  take  the 

91 


utmost  means,  and  without  any  mercy  to  calumniate  the  malei'actors,  and 
when  necessary  even  put  them  out  of  the  way!  The  history  is  full  of 
such  cases.  The  cases  of  Spinoza  and  Giordano  Bruno  are  only  too  good 
proofs,  which  bear  passing  mention.  But  the  most  beautiful,  renowiied 
and  wonderful  part  had  to  come:  After  many  centuries  some  individ- 
uals awakened  to  these  outrageous  facts  took  courage,  gathered  together 
llie  writings  of  men  driven  to  Martyrdom,  and  published  them!  Nietzsche, 
who  made  the  most  careful  investigation  in  this  very  peculiar  line, 
thought  and  acted  equally;  and  we  can  see  from  his  actions  ilie  nc<*es- 
sity  of  methodical  self -teaching,  which  never  was  too  much  work  for 
liim !  Yes,  he  was  even  far  more  noble  in  this  regard.  He  thouglit,  and 
said,  that  no  sacrifice  was  too  much  for  the  enormous  work  of  Self -teach- 
ing! The  point  caused  his  ''Human-All-Too-Human"  feeling  for  the 
eternally  unfortunate  individuals  for  whom  he  wrote  his  books:  niinely, 
the  free  spirits!  He  never  questioned  to  himself  whether  or  not  the  men 
would  travel  the  recommended  road,  but  he  struggled  to  write  down,  so 
far  as  he  was  conscious  of  it,  and  so  far  as  he  was  able  to  write,  his 
own  conclusions!  He  did  it  only  from  human  interest, — even  when  he 
should  fall  a«  victim!  He  had  a  good  vision  of  the  danger,  but  lie  still 
remained  fearless!  "^he  main  point  for  him  in  his  exposition  of  so  many 
complicated  problems  was  to  bring  the  truth  to  the  front,  even  though 
he  should  be  a  marked  man  from  it ! 

Today,  forty  years  after  the  first  publishing  of  his  book,  we  find 
many  answers  to  it,  which  make  us  joyful  I  These  answers  talk  both  for 
and  contra,  but  fundamentally,  in  no  one  writing  can  be  found  the  real 
view-point  of  the  free  individual,  who  should  be  energetically  willing  to 
take  a  stand  against  the  state!  It  is  far  more  a  crime  when  modern 
writers  claim  atrociously  that  Nietzsche  foimded  Prussianism !  He  wanted 
only  the  conscious  individual,  and  nothing  more !  Before  an  B.  A.  Poe  he 
bowed,  but  not  before  a  Bismarck !  Every  point  in  his  writings  showed 
obviously  the  fact  that  Germany  *s  constitutional  politicians  were  the  last 
who  would  dare  to  explore  or  establish  his  doctrine  in  Germany!  (Yes, 
Herr  Johannes  Schlaf  deliberately  forgot  this  division  in  his  book.  Why 
did  he  do  that?  Undoubtedly  he  w^as  most  afraid  of  a  terrible  lashing! 
In  the  division,  *'A  Glance  on  State,*'  he  slipped  at  once  to  Volume  III, 
page  51  in  the  next  division,  ** Wanderer  and  His  Shadow,"  and  says: 
**It  makes  us  here  and  there  for  a  while  read.") 

We  read  many  books  on  Nietzsche,  and  instead  of  becoming  antag- 
onistic we  become  generous,  or  even  non-resistant.  A  lady  critic  of 
Nietzsche  received  from  us,  long  ago,  200  pages  of  the  most  polite  criti- 
cism. We  had  once  been  friends,  but  at  once  v/ere  cast  out  from  the 
"intellectuality"  for  our  view-points  of  the  near-by  things;  we  lacked 
metaphysics  in  politics!  Such  was  our  instruction  from  our  beloved  mas- 
ter: w^e  were  to  read  the  individual  sentence,  and  not  swallow  the  whole 
book  at  once!  When  w^e  find  in  Herr  Johannes  Schlaf 's  book  the  fol- 
lowing sentence:  **In  individual  points  Nietzsche's  explanations  are 
correct;  in  the  whole  they  are  not  durable,  even  sometimes  impossible, 
and  often  direct,  pitiable  dilettantic, "  we  feel  indeed  poetic,  and  we  ask 


ourselves:  **But  for  heaven's  sake,  is  it  not  pitiable,  dilettantic  when  he 
writes:  *The  doctrine  of  the  freedom  of  the  Will  is  an  invention  of  the 
ruling  classes'?" 

We,  who  make  this  detail  investigation  years  after,  regard  such 
writing  as  the  best  ordained  composition,  because  we  are  sure  at  last  of 
his  worthless  position  as  protector  of  the  kingdom  and  ROME,  and  con- 
sequently we  are  able  to  draw  the  right  conclusion  of  our  opposing  gen- 
tlemen critics'  investigation  we  feel  amiable  when  we  see  daily  descrip- 
tion of  magnificent  murder  stories  about  Nietzsche !  All  these  deliberate 
ascribings  of  the  critics  on  a  ** gloomy"  philosopher,  as  they  say,  make  us 
frivolously  cheerful,  because  we  ask  ourselves:  **Why  such  endless  criti- 
cism on  such  a  gloomy  philosophy?"  Very  well,  we  know  that  the  real 
freedom-fighters  were  forever  deliberately  concealed,  calumniated,  and  as 
fever  before  sentenced  to  death!  This  is  no  mere  joke,  because  we  see 
therein  a  mischievous  Dilettantismus,  in  which  we  discover  consequent! 5^ 
the  vigilant  party-defence  of  the  old  monster  system!  From  now  on  we 
must  carefully  connect  the  individual  books  in  modern  literature  which 
are  recommended  as  artful,  so  as  to  be  able  to  compose  a  new  opiidon, — 
because  our  social  life  depends  only  on  such  an  opinion!  Whoever  tries 
to  hide  behind  the  opinion  of  the  old  system  is  marked  as  at  the  parting 
of  the  roads,  where  the  moment  is  ruled  through  fierce  fatality !  We  will 
not  be  lazy  when  we  investigate.  At  the  same  time  we  will  keep  our 
eyes  open,  and  place  everything  in  its  right  place,  and  mark  it  with 
especially  thought-out  remarks,  in  which  we  are  real  specialists!  We 
had  rather  read  the  books  from  those  times,  which  cover  the  most  noble 
men  with  the  atrocity  of  the  modern  *' big-stick"  of  the  greater  states. 
This  enthusiasm  never  touched  us,  and  when  the  time  comes,  we,  too,  will 
have  a  pointing  finger! 

We  learned  a  good  deal  from  Nietzsche.  He  read  the  old  writings 
eagerly,  where  he  invariably  noticed  the  real  point  of  the  developing  of 
the  greater  system,  even  when  other  writers  contradicted  his  view-point. 
That  was  the  art  of  meditation, — a  man  like  Edgar  Allan  Poe  wrote  only 
weary  stories — that  is  enough!  Nietzsche  wanted  to  establish  only  one 
kind  of  a  school  for  sincere  individuals,  and  therewith  he  felt  compelled 
to  do  his  duty.  In  this  division,  ''Man  Alone  by  Himself,"  he  called 
attention  to  the  individuals :  How  they  should  take  themselves !  When- 
ever the  man  is  alone,  or  when  he  belongs  to  a  party  and  wears  a  hypo- 
crite's mask;  at  what  time  he  has  a  friend,  and  what  drives  him  to  an 
illusion ;  how  he  must  read  a  philosophical  book,  and  what  he  must  con- 
clude from  it ;  how  a  man  must  avoid  egotistical  boastfulness,  and  never 
go  farther  than  the  visible  point  he  is  able  to  grasp !  Never  to  look  for 
a  point  externally,  because  whatever  we  need  for  our  lives  we  can  find 
it  at  home.  Charity  begins  here !  Just  to  make  these  points  into  opinions, 
then  culture  must  progress!  Why  should  we  want  that,  and  even  more? 
Just  because  we  owe  all  this  to  ourselves,  regardless  of  our  social  classifi- 
cation! To  go  ahead  fearlessly,  regardless  of  where  we  will  end!  To 
keep  the  point  of  higher  culture  in  mind  forever!     Never  to  try  to 

93 


educate  another  so  long  as  we  are  not  willing  to  go  the  same  road !  Never 
to  look  around  so  long  as  we  follow  our  own  inner  belief! 

In  order  to  judge  correctly  the  many  hints,  explanations  and  indi- 
cations, he  strived,  partly  concealing  his  object  to  part  the  individuals 
entirely  from  organized  society !  The  free  spirits  did  not  always  care  to 
recognize  this  fact !  Therefore  we  do  not  wonder,  when  he  wrote  on  the 
end  of  this  marvelous  division,  **The  Wanderer'': 

"He  who  has  attained  intellectual  emancipation  to  any  extent  cannot,  for  a 
long  time,  regard  himself  otherwise  than  as  a  wandered  on  the  face  of  the  earth 
— and  not  even  as  a  traveler  towards  a  final  goal,  for  there  is  no  such  thing.  But 
he  certainly  wants  to  observe  and  keep  his  eyes  open  to  whatever  actually  hap- 
pens In  the  world;  therefore  he  cannot  attach  his  heart  too  firmly  to  anything 
individual;  he  must  have  in  himself  something  wandering  that  takes  pleasure  in 
change  and  transitoriness.  To  be  sure  such  a  man  will  have  bad  nights,  when  he 
is  weary  and  finds  the  gates  of  the  town  that  should  offer  him  rest  closed;  perhaps 
he  may  also  find  that,  as  in  the  East,  the  desert  reaches  to  the  gates,  that  wild 
beasts  howl  far  and  near,  that  a  strong  wind  arises,  and  that  robbers  take  away 
his  beasts  of  burden.  Then  the  dreadful  night  closes  over  him  like  a  second 
desert  upon  the  desert,  and  his  heart  grows  weary  of  wandering.  Then  when  the 
morning  sun  rises  upon  him,  glowing  like  a  Deity  of  anger,  when  the  town  is 
opened,  he  sees  perhaps  in  the  faces  of  the  dwellers  therein  still  more  desert, 
uncleanliness,  deceit,  and  inscurity  than  outsid  the  gates — and  the  day  is  almost 
worse  than  the  night.  Thus  it  may  occasionally  happen  to  the  wanderer;  but 
then  there  comes  as  compensation  the  delightful  mornings  of  other  lands  and 
days,  when  already  in  the  grey  of  the  dawn  he  sees  the  throng  of  muses  dancing 
by,  close  to  him,  in  the  mist  of  the  mountain;  when  afterwards,  in  the  symmetry 
of  his  antemeridian  soul,  he  strolls  silently  under  the  trees,  out  of  whose  crest 
and  leafy  hiding-places  all  manner  of  good  and  bright  things  are  flung  at  him, 
the  gifts  of  all  the  free  spirits  who  are  at  home  in  mountains,  forests,  and  soli- 
tudes, and  who,  like  himself,  alternately  merry  and  thoughtful,  are  wanderers 
and  philosophers.  Born  of  the  secrets  of  the  early  dawn,  they  ponder  the  question 
how  the  day,  between  the  hours  of  ten  and  twelve,  can  have  such  a  pure,  trans- 
parent, and  gloriously  cheerful  countenance;  they  seek  the  ante-meridian  phil- 
osophy." 

Nevertheless,  in  the  midst  of  our  careful  reading,  we  are  shook  from 
an  undescriptive  Self -acknowledgment,  which  a  freedom-fighter  can 
hardly  avoid.  We,  too,  must  make  some  similar  maxim,  through  which 
we  will  be  able  to  see  ourselves  as  we  are !  Never  to  be  in  haste,  at  least 
not  to  be  so  chattering  as  before !  With  this  carefully  thought-out  sum- 
mary we  will  even  think  on  the  Chinamen,  who  honor  their  old  writings 
with  consideration!  Should  our  intention  be  wisdom,  then  we  have  to 
keep  tidy  with  all  our  life's  power  to  the  conquered  part  of  cheerful 
humanity!  Therewith  we  show  our  colors,  and  hope  that  we,  too,  give 
something  for  the  enlightenment  of  the  general  understanding  of 
Nietzsche's  philosophy!  If  anyone  asks  us,  ''Why  we  did  not  explore 
the  other  books  of  Nietzsche,"  there  can  be  only  one  answer:  *'We  begin 
to  work  with  small  things  for  the  great  things. ' '  Should  this  writing  be 
received  with  human  friendliness,  and  support  assured,  then:  nothing 
should  keep  us  from  devoting  more  time  to  the  rest  of  his  writings! 
This  is  my  personal  explanation,  and  I  hope  it  will  be  understood  as  I 
mean  it. 

Nietzsche  never  bothered  himself  whether  if  ever  his  trust  of  his 
innermost  thirst  for  truth  should  be  quenched!    He  went  courageously 

94 


ahead,  regardless  of  where  he  landed!  For  this  conclusion  we  were  on 
the  guard  at  the  very  beginning  of  this  marvelously  written  book,  but 
we  never  quivered  an  eyelash !  When  he  finished  his  work  he  secluded 
himself.  He  was  true  to  his  own  words,  even  though  he  did  not  go  on 
the  recommended  wandering.  We  meditated  on  this  for  a  long  time,  and 
resolved  to  follow  his  example!  Our  long  years  of  wandering  compen- 
sated us  and  we  gained  our  request !  We  found  continuous  change,  self- 
command,  regeneration,  if  you  please,  and — at  last  our  precious  knowl- 
edge masked  itself  before  curious  people !  Now  we  are  ready  with  ease 
to  face  any  fatality! 

HONOR,  TO  WHOM  HONOR  BELONGS! 


END. 


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